Heroes: A Superfic
by MaraJadeblu
Summary: A misanthropic Edward is a dangerous creature working at the Daily Planet, and Bella comes into his life as an intern. Can he be a better man, a man at all? Will Jacob and Bella's relationship ruin his chances at humanity? Chapters rated individually.
1. Edward: Fans and broken ACs will kill ya

_This is my first Twilight fic. After reading many AU fics, I wanted to write one, and it occurred to me that the vampires in Twilight are actually more similar to superheroes than vampires. I moved Metropolis from Chicago to Washington because I thought a west coast setting would be more appropriate for the characters, and I don't like to write OOC. _

_**Reviews**: I do not have a beta, though I comb the chapters at least three times before publishing. Please let me know if there are mistakes bothering you, or if you like my fic. I appreciate the encouragement. _

_Thank __you __for __reading__; feedback is appreciated!__  
_

**_Rating_**_: (K+) __This __fic __will __eventually __be __NC__-17 (or MA) __for __explicit __sexual __situations__, __and __chapters __with __adult __content __will __contain __warnings__.__This __chapter __has __light __swearing__._

**_Disclaimer_**_: __All __publicly __recognizable __characters__, __settings__, __etc__. __are __the __property __of __the ir__respective __owners__. __The __original__characters __and __plot __are __the __property __of __the __author__. __The __author __is __in __no __way __associated __with __the __owners__, __creators__, __or __producers__of __any __media __franchise__. __No __copy right __infringement __is __intended__._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**Metropolis****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**June**** 20, 2012**

**Ch**** 1: ****Edward**

The air conditioners were broken again. The temperature didn't bother me in the least- the only problem the sweltering heat caused me had to do with my other... senses. Jessica's abhorrent and obvious perfume was annoying enough without fans blowing the fumes into my face repeatedly. I wouldn't have needed to breathe, but unfortunately my job had me on the phone every ten minutes, and when I wasn't tracking down sources, I was being yelled at about corrections, and when I wasn't being yelled at, Jessica was finding pathetic excuses to lean over my desk and encourage chit chat with her breasts.

They did nothing for me, the breasts, firm and oppressively buoyant though they may be. I almost wished they did. I wished I had a normal man's reaction to breasts being flaunted inches from my nose- that when my eyes drifted, and I unconsciously swallowed, it was because of erotic desire- that I was imagining caresses and licks instead of violence and murder.

That was distraction number one on days when the AC went down. It was almost enough to make me convincingly crabbier than usual, like the rest of these... people.

Problem number two was that other people were crabby- their thoughts, already trite and repulsive to begin with, we're tinted with irritability- as if people weren't irritating enough. The despotic silence resulting from the heat did nothing for the incessant dribble that came from people's minds.

I'd have gone crazy years ago if I hadn't started to be able to block out thoughts. Block is optomistic wording, they were just like sound in that they couldn't truly be blocked, only focused and unfocused. Keeping my mind busy helped distract me from their noise, and I was finally using this curse for something good. That was a bittersweet comfort. I sighed as a waft of Jessica and a tinge of Mike's arousal made its way up my nose. Whatever disgusting pheromones Jessica was projecting were at least having some effect- somewhere.

Mike liked to play sports- basketball after work on Thursdays with Tyler. He didn't mind the heat or the sweat- it made him feel powerful and exhilarated. He was imagining swiping clear a desk, and cornering Ms. Stanley against it. I slammed down my stack of papers in imitation of my mental reaction- slamming down on Mike's vile, disrespectful, inappropriate thoughts. What was he, some kind of horny teenager?!

Off track already- I rubbed my face with cool fingers, trying to contain my irritation by retreating into a controlled state of apathy. Everywhere, every job, the same distractions and vices haunted plebeians- and by extension, me. Why should here be any different? No one ever touted journalism as a profession filled with the well adjusted and mature. Writers, I thought with dispassionate dismissal. And, for heaven sakes, I was one of them! One of these immature, selfish, vicious writers I derided on a daily basis. _Smallest __violin__, __Cullen__._

It was better here than other jobs- here people were at least honest about serving their egos- their vices were even socially acceptable (even Mike's, I reluctantly admitted). The least I could do to make this easier on myself would be to retreat into apathy. All these very mundane problems and thoughts- every single one of them thinking their bullshit was unique and special- every romance a stupid goddamn snowflake... Once again, I was getting off track. In my quest for apathy, I sometimes overreached and tumbled into resentment and sulky loneliness. Some of my more attractive qualities.

Determined to shake it off and regain my blasé zen, I strode up to Ms. Cope's Desk. Giving her a charming smile that usually got me what I wanted, she immediately tightened her thighs and parted her lips. "I'm feeling a bit restless in here. Is there anything that needs doing that might involve some fresh air or walking around?" I put one hand casually on my desk, giving me an excuse to lean in invitingly with my body language.

For a fleeting second, she was almost able to interpret his words as an invitation to a walk in the park. I was already planning my way around it when she suddenly remembered, "We're getting in our new interns today Mr. Cullen! Are you sure you want to leave; they should be here soon..."

Great, more of the same- I thought, proud that my apathy had made a comeback. Then with a groan I realized the effect fresh blood (no pun intended) was going to have on the office.

"If you'd like, you can show around the newbie assigned to our block- a Ms. Isabella Swan. She's a scholarship student who has been accepted to MU, but she's fresh out of high school."

Oh god, babysitting. On the other hand- poor Ms. Swan could end up with a horny Mike or Taylor, a jealous Jessica, or a vicious Lauren. At least I was a sane choice (that's a private joke, and a sick one at that, Cullen). How bad could it be? Ha, ha, I hadn't fed in a while. With that in mind, I decided studiously to avoid her. Better to expose myself to her scent a little at a time.

"On second thought..." My phone began ringing in my pocket- people might be annoying, but at least the work was interesting. I waved an apology and took the call- a callback from one of my sources for tomorrow's article. There was a murder on a dock last night, and as usual - I felt obsessively that I must know who was behind it- that there had to be some clue...

* * *

Having seen the body, and talked to the witness who found it, I walked back into the building preoccupied. I held an empty coffee cup for show. Most journalists lived on coffee and food bars, so unlike some of my other occupations, I didn't often have to pretend to eat.

I sipped the empty cup once in awhile, and no one was the wiser.

The general buzz was about the new interns: This one was cute, that one was hot, he had already put his foot in his mouth, wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole covered latex.

I sighed, and smelled some new scents as I got into the elevator. Several deep breaths later I had acclimated and categorized them. One of them, female, was a smoker. I hoped it wasn't Ms. Swan because that smell was disgusting. Another, male, was very nervous, possibly because he has stepped in dog defecation on his way in. Most of them lived in the city, I could tell from the absence of wild pollens.

I reached out my mind and scanned for my department. Jessica was predictably jealous. Talk around the office was all about the illustrious Ms Swan. The men were embarrassing themselves over her. Apparent she was shy as a doe, fair and clear-faced as a doll, pretty, juicy and young as a fresh peach, waiting to be plucked.

_Ugh__, __gag_. For once, I agreed with Jessica. She had an exaggerated view of ...pretty much everything judging by her daydreams of me, however, Ms. Swan was probably not, hmm, horsefaced and buck-toothed. Nor was she anything like the doll Ben thought of or the- ew- dominatrix Tyler was imagining, at least I hoped not. She must have been occupied, blending into her surroundings because I hadn't heard her yet. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I refocused on work.

Still talking, I got to my desk and began digitally backing up the info and pictures I'd just taken at the dock. My Nikon D5100 went back into a locked drawer, and he started tapping away on his laptop. The lab confirmed my suspicions, and for an unknown amount of time, my focus was complete. The only part of me that wasn't working was focused on the human movements that kept me obscure. I fidgeted, blinked, drank some "coffee" and remembered to breathe. Jessica's perfume _almost_ didn't bother me at all.

_Edward __Cullen__._

Rarely were thoughts directed at me with such fervor. I looked up and saw Mike, Jessica, and a third figure starting back at me. The two of them looked away uncomfortably and continued talking... about me, but a pair of honey eyes stared back at me, and held my gaze.

_Hello__, __Ms__. __Swan__._

I was surprised by my own reaction, and hers. She didn't fidget away for all of two seconds-almost a record for me, and then a blush slowly pooled the blood under her skin and took over her complexion until I thought the force of it would make her faint. She pulled her eyes off of me like I'd poked her, and looked guilty at being caught in her fascination.

_Are__you__freaking__kidding__me__?_ Jessica's mind intruded. _He__'__s __never __looked __at __me __that __way__-__just __staring__. __It __would __be __creepy __if __it __weren__'__t __so __ridiculously __friggin__' __hot__!_

_Oh __no__..._ Mike's mind simultaneously groaned. _Of __all __the__... __not __CULLEN__. __He __could __have __anyone __and __he __chooses __my __beautiful __Bella__-_

_Noo__... _I heard Eric watch me stare, _Any __girl __in __here __would __drop __her __panties __for __him__, __and __now __even __the __new __girl __is __already __enthralled__!_

Surely "enthralled" was hyperbole, though I felt a little self congratulatory about it anyway.

_Ha__, __who__'__s __a __vain__, __tepid__, __misanthropic __ass __now__, __Cullen__? _That last was me.

It was enough to make me blink and turn back to my work. If I could blush at the comments I would, but alas. Everyone was entirely over-reacting. After all, she was just a silly high school girl, and she wasn't _that_ beautiful. I looked again, to convince myself that indeed, she was almost plain.

She was looking at me again with those eyes, and jerked away at Mike faster this time. Good. The stories and I had already made her uneasy. _Give __in__to __your __survival __instincts__, __Ms__. __Swan__. __Listen __to __them __well__. _

Mike was taking her to Ms. Cope's desk. One of his hands rested on her lower back, and he smiled gently as they chatted about her placement. Who would her mentors be? Mike was hoping in the name of all that was holy, that he would be one of them. He tried to indicate this to Ms. Cope, who delightfully said, "Ms. Swan will be working on the local crime beat. Ms. Stanley and Mr. Cullen will be her mentors, Michael." Mike had never wished he hadn't been a political junkie so badly in his life. The finality of the words sent him into a slump.

I felt like slumping too. Babysitting. Oh, joy. Ms. Cope threw me a look that indicated she had given me this as a present due to my request earlier. While Jessica flailed with artificial excitement, I started to consider the best way out of it. Maybe I should hand her over to Mike after all...

_Oh__, __just __smell __her __first__, __you __wuss__! _Emmett's words coming out of my brain. _You __don__'__t __even __know __if __this __is __going __to __be __a __problem__!_ _Maybe __she s__mokes__; __that __would __fix __it__._

Jessica was now leading Ms. Swan over to my desk. I saw the inevitability of her passing in front of the fan. As Jessica walked through her stench flew to my right, but Ms Swan paused and then hurried to catch up, passing by the wind just in time for me to take a precaution whiff-

I'd never wanted to kill anyone as badly in my life as I wanted to kill Ms. Swan in that moment.


	2. Bella: The Things I Carried

_Thank __you __for __reading__; feedback is appreciated!__  
_

**_Rating_**_: (K) __This __fic __will __eventually __be __NC__-17(MA) __for __explicit __sexual __situations__, __and __chapters __with __adult __content __will __contain __warnings__.__This __chapter __has no warnings__._

**_Disclaimer_**_: __All __publicly __recognizable __characters__, __settings__, __etc__. __are __the __property __of __the ir__respective __owners__. __The __original__characters __and __plot __are __the __property __of __the __author__. __The __author __is __in __no __way __associated __with __the __owners__, __creators__, __or __producers__of __any __media __franchise__. __No __copy right __infringement __is __intended__._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**Metropolis ****Airport****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**June**** 18, 2012**

**Ch**** 2: ****Bella**

I thought about _The Things They Carried_ as I carried my things through the airport. Having arrived from Phoenix, I stopped in the bathroom to tug a comfy cotton shirt over my tank. No point exposing skin without the sun to warm it.

I pulled my small purple luggage and continued my account. I carried four suited outfits and six tops, including the cotton one I was wearing. Math told me this would be the bare minimum number of combinations I would need to dress myself without looking like a hobo. I carried a hairbrush, some face wash, a toothbrush, three pictures, a dozen pairs of underwear, three bras (black, skin tone, and sports), three pairs of skinny jeans, shoes, sneakers (which I wore), and sandals, an envelope of emergency money, and _Wuthering Heights_. I wore my pajama bottoms, and thought I might want to invest in an extra pair of shorts

This was everything I brought with me to Metropolis City to start my life as an undergraduate. I had fulfilled my goal of fitting everything I truly needed in two carry-on bags.

Oh yes, in my other bag, my tote, I carried a nook with my digital library, a three-year-old netbook that barely started anymore, my cell phone, chargers, and wallet. Speaking of, I pulled out my phone to text Charlie that I touched down safely, but three or four mistakes into that sentence with my clumsy fingers, and considering after all that it was Charlie I was attempting to text, I gave up and called him.

"Bells!" To his credit, he sounded happy to see me. "You on land again?"

"Safe and sound. Are you here or should I grab a cab?"

"Of course I'm here, I wouldn't let you take a cab in a strange city the second you get off the plane!" I rolled my eyes, wondering how he would react to my proposed living arrangements. "I'm in the pickup area of the exit terminal. See you soon." I winced slightly- my dad was not a phone person.

His squad car was easy to spot. I almost couldn't believe he'd make the two hour drive outside of forks just to pick me up. I dropped my luggage in the back seat and climbed in shotgun.

We didn't kiss, or hug, really. He smelled like pine and smoke, and put a rough hand on my shoulder with a little squeeze. "You didn't need to drive all this way for me," I began.

"Oh, Bells, don't start. I figured I could show you around the city, and we could grab dinner here." Translation: overprotective father wants to carefully introduce new specimen-daughter to the environment in a controlled way. "I figured we could drive around where you'll be working, and find a place to eat- see the neighborhood."

I smiled despite myself, "Sounds great, dad." I felt a twinge of guilt when the prospect of glimpsing my soon-to-be apartment excited me. Maybe they were called apartments because they kept you apart. _Ow, more guilt._

Metropolis was like I remembered it, and very different from Phoenix. The color palette alone was enough to remind me of the great changes I was about to experience. We came to a crossroads between a trendy looking Italian place called Sotto Vocce and Bob's Diner.

"Feel like some Italian?" My dad said, trying not to look longingly at the diner. Trendy Italian was pretty far away from his comfort zone- like one step below Ethiopian.

"And-a miss-a outa on-a all day breakfast?" I joked. I elbowed him, "Come on Dad, I want some pancakes."

* * *

Four blueberry pancakes later I was stuffed. I cradled my food baby in the drive back to Forks. Dad was pointing out the best highways for commuting, claiming he could cut down the time to only about seventy-five minutes with traffic.

"And how often do you commute to Met City, dad?" The chief of police is usually in the district he's in charge of, not running off to the closest city to dabble in their problems.

"I did a few practice runs so I could give you some advice..." Awkward silence followed, and though it was the perfect lead in to my news, I couldn't make the words come out. I was the worst daughter, ever.

The rest of the ride was silent. My dad was humming to himself contentedly with the radio, happy to have his prodigal daughter finally next to him. I slumped, and tried not to writhe in guilt too obviously.

When we pulled into our street, I was confused to see so many cars already there. A beat up red pickup, a van, a motorcycle, and now my day's squad car were crowding the front driveway.

It was a forest of cars. I got out hesitantly, hating surprises, and warned of my wrath, "Dad, what is this?" _Not a party, not a party, please god, not a party._

"I invited some friends over with a welcome home present for you." He swung his arm to indicate the pickup. My jaw and stomach dropped simultaneously.

I groaned a little, "Please tell me you didn't buy me a truck..." I whispered.

"Keep your pants on, he didn't buy it- I built it." _That voice!_

"No way..." Where was he? My part-time best friend of all-time. I looked around the vehicle forest.

"Bells," he said softly from behind me.

I spun around and ran to launch myself at him, "Jacob!"

_Crunch_. Soft, pliable, _me_ hit a stone wall of muscle. My leap, meant to playfully tackle, brought me no higher than his sternum. "Whoa! Watch out or you'll hurt yourself, Bella! I've grown, I'm a big boy now" while talking, he had caught me into his arms and hugged me to him.

When I could breath again, I said, "Jacob, I thought we agreed no growth hormones, you're supposed to be younger than me!"

He laughed, "I think you shrunk." I smacked his arm and it hurt my hand. He gently put his frying pan paw on my spine to lead me inside. For some reason, this made me blush.


	3. Jacob: Falling Hard

_Thank __you __for __reading__; feedback is appreciated!__  
_

**_Rating_**_: (T) __This __fic __will __eventually __be __NC__-17 __for __explicit __sexual __situations__, __and __chapters __with __adult __content __will __contain __warnings__. __This __chapter __has __light __swearing, and content unsuitable to children.__  
_

**_Disclaimer_**_: __All __publicly __recognizable __characters__, __settings__, __etc__. __are __the __property __of __the ir__respective __owners__. __The __original__characters __and __plot __are __the __property __of __the __author__. __The __author __is __in __no __way __associated __with __the __owners__, __creators__, __or __producers__of __any __media __franchise__. __No __copy right __infringement __is __intended__._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**Forks****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**June**** 18, 2012**

**Ch**** 3: ****Jacob**

I pushed Dad up to the house; he had an extra key. Then I unloaded my motorcycle from the back of the pickup. "What do you need that for again? Trying to impress a girl?"

I smirked to hide my embarrassment. "I haven't seen her in a year- I just figured we could catch up." She didn't know I was fully employed at the garage this summer- and I was damn proud of the bike. I tensed when I heard a car coming down the lane. The time was right, and it wasn't the most used road in town, and I kind of... flattened myself against the pickup nervously. She hadn't seen me since my growth spurt and I felt a little... shy. At the same time I was just really excited to see my best friend. Dad rolled his eyes and rolled inside.

I heard the car door slam, and wondered how she would react to the truck, my heart beating a little faster. She hated surprises, so I was torn about jumping out and scaring the crap out of her, which she would hate for a good minute, and figuring out a way not to scare her, which would be a challenge. She hated surprises because she could be easily surprised. To Bella, surprise = embarrassment.

"Dad, what is this?" She asked, sounding not-at-all happy. There was more to her fear than nervousness. I didn't really hear Charlie's answer, because Bella whispered painfully, "Please tell me you didn't buy me a truck..."

I wasn't sure why, but she needed some serious cheering up, "Keep your pants on, he didn't buy it- I built it."

"No way..." I had involuntarily come around the truck, and saw her from behind. She was still perfect, but smaller, somehow. She looked frail and tiny. I swallowed, for some reason her smaller size made her curves more obvious than they'd ever been before.

"Bells," slipped from my lips.

She whirled around yelling, "Jacob!" I saw her intent to launch herself at me, just like old times. I felt lightness in my chest, knowing nothing had changed for her either.

_Crunch_. Ooookay, maybe not nothing. Was that her nose? Was I gonna pull her back and see blood gushing onto my pecks? "Whoa! Watch out or you'll hurt yourself, Bella! I've grown, I'm a big boy now." I pulled her up and tighter into a hug. No blood, just beautiful, feathery, strawberry-smelling Bella. _Wait, could she breathe?_ I let her down, sliding her gently, and again noticing her, ahem, curves.

_Get over yourself, boy. Act your age. Stupid teenage body, that's my best friend you're ogling!_

"Jacob, I thought we agreed no growth hormones, you're supposed to be younger than me," her voice chimed. Thank goodness, it was like she never left.

I chuckled and honestly said, "I think you shrunk." She smacked me, shook her hand out, and I chuckled again as we headed inside.

"Hey Billy," Bella bent over to give my Dad a kiss on the cheek, and I tried hard not to ogle her a-curves. I put my hands in my pockets and moved back a bit. Bella paused, seeming to remember something, "Jacob, you built that?"

I scratched the back of my neck, trying to be humble, but failing pretty spectacularly, "Well, not all of it. I fixed the bike and the truck up at the garage."

She ran away. I blinked. Actually, she opened the screen door and hung out the porch, "Wow! Wow, Jacob! My dad lets you ride that thing?" The two dads groaned, and I chuckled.

"I'm not sure who's happier about it, but I'm eighteen now, so..." I shrugged. Part of me, the lower half, added, _I'm legal_. I pinched myself hard through my pocket.

She turned back around, and her eyes went up, and up, and up. Was she checking me out?

"You're like the size of two Jacobs. Are you sure you didn't eat Jacob and take on his appearance?"

I smiled, "Maybe I gained an inch for every moment you became more beautiful." _Ah! Word vomit much?_ And yet, it felt right. I couldn't take it back, especially considering her face lit up like red Christmas lights. "If your cheeks get any redder, I'm going to have to put you in front of the reindeer pack." She was at a loss for words, so I put my arm around her and led her back inside.

Dad and Charlie were on the couch with beers, watching the game. I was more interested in catching up with the Bellmeister (she hated that name, said it made her sound like the Hunchback of Notre Dame) so we sat on the, uh, loveseat.

"So, do you like your truck?" I asked once we were seated with sodas. Seemed like a normal enough question, but she winced.

She stared ahead and opened her mouth to answer, but before she did, I saw her eyes well with tears, and that made me really uncomfortable. I started looking around for a change of subject, or something to make sense of everything, but before I succeeded she said, "I truly love it, Jacob." The tremble in her voice was about to attract dadtention, so I grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet so we could talk.

"Then lets go check it out." I pulled her outside before she could protest. Once we were near the truck I asked, "What's up? You just got back, what's making you upset?"

"Um..." She wasn't gonna spill.

"Damnit Bella, come on. I fixed up this truck for you, and it almost made you cry. Please tell me why." It certainly wasn't the grateful reaction I was expecting. _Another hug would do, please._ I settled for brushing her hair off her cheek with my monster thumb. My breath stopped when I saw the tears start to flow. I searched her eyes for the answer. They were deep and dark in the fading light.

"It's not you. That was so sweet, Jacob." She sniffed and wiped away her tears. "I'm just a terrible daughter and a terrible friend, and the guilt got to be too much because everyone is being so nice to me."

I sighed with relief, "Is that all?" Her eyes narrowed, and I backtracked, "None of that is true, Bella. You're great, and I've heard you whine about your insecurities before, remember?"

She huffed, slightly placated, "Wait until you hear what I've done."

With a glance around, I picked her up and placed her on the pickup. Her shorts had duckies on them. I hopped up next to her, "okay, lay it on me, but I warn you that I'm still going to think you're awesome afterwards, so prepare yourself."

She huffed again as if that offended her, but I saw a small smile. "I'm upset with myself because I don't need the truck." This was a little disappointing, but I waited for her to continue, "I'm uh, going to sublet near my internship for the summer." Now that she had started she sped up so she could say everything without feeling my judgement. "I only just got confirmation about it before getting on the plane. A friend of a friend offered me a super cheap sublet while she goes home for the summer. I did the math, and it would be just as expensive to commute between gas and parking, not to mention, I'll be able to work later and still be safe. AND," her pitch rose and intensified, "I didn't know I was getting a truck," she added in a small voice "which I love."

I laughed at her. It allowed her to laugh at herself. "Sounds like you actually thought through this really well. Makes sense to me." I put my hand on hers, "Feel better?"

She continued to look down, "I just feel so bad because you went through all that trouble for nothing." Nothing? "I just got back, and I'm realizing that by making that commitment, I'm letting down my dad and you because I won't even be around..."

"Hey..." I put my arm around her, "if you'd gone to college somewhere else, could I do this?" I squeezed her arm. "Could you have had dinner with your dad? Would I even have the chance to see you again? You made a good call your your career. Your dad will respect that. And do you really think an hour's ride on my bike is going to keep me from hanging out with you? Even if you're busy? Besides," I turned her chin towards me with my other hand, my voice got quieter, and I flickered my eyes to her lips (_Focus!_) "you are not nothing!" I tried to convey how strongly I felt with my eyes, and pulled her chin closer, over my shoulder, into a hug. "Don't say that, Bella. You can use the truck when you're here so you can visit La Push, and at the end of the summer..." I pulled back, "You are still staying, right? Just dorming?" This would really suck, if she was only here for the summer, again.

She smiled, "Not even dorming, can't afford it. I wasn't able to plan that far ahead. I have the apartment for two months, then the tenant gets back in time for the semester... And I move home." I was glad home meant here.

Now I smiled, "See? Truck to the rescue, and you were so worried. Yea, it might put a damper on you being a wild party animal your freshman year, but it runs."

"You know me, so disappointed I can't party. Wildly." We were both grinning like idiots, and the Mosquitos were starting to close in. I slid off the truck and went to help Bellarino down. I may have moved slower than necessary, just to torture myself with her delicate weight before we went inside.

"I'm sure Charlie will understand," I whispered before we closed the door. I knew she would delay nervously, so like pulling off the bandaid, I immediately began, "So, what time do you need help moving to Met City tomorrow?" I asked loudly. Charlie spit his beer out and coughed. Bella gave me a horrified look. "Your internship starts the 20th, so you need to move in tomorrow, right?" C'mon Bella, man up.

Everyone looked from me to Bella. She started nodding before she found her voice, "Um, yea."

* * *

**Metro****City****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**June**** 19, 2012**

"Jeez, this is all you brought Bells?" I lifted her luggage with one hand.

"Sublets come with furniture, Jacob. And can always just go to the CVS over there and pick up anything I'm missing." She was carrying a bag of sheets and pillows from home. I raised my eyebrow at her package, "Except sheets, I guess." She flounced off towards the entrance.

I may not have been her favorite person at the moment, but her attitude was better than it had been last night after my bandaid stunt. We headed towards her apartment number. For a second I was impressed with the neighborhood. Based on this expense of the apartment I expected a closet in one of these newer buildings, but as we turned the corner, I saw the old tenements.

They looked like three-family homes, typical of the west coast, but fairly old. Fairly old and sort of falling apart... "Um, Bella, these are rotting."

She was starry-eyed. "They're cute." _It_ was awful; _she_ was cute.

"Let's see if the stairs can hold my weight first." I was starting to get really worried about her.

"There's a balcony..." she breathed.

"Well that sounds totally burglar-proof," I muttered.

She gave me a sideways look and pulled out her keys, "Because I have so much to burgle."

I sighed, looming over her. I had to duck to get in the door. Her apartment was on the third floor, up two flights of narrow steps (which held my weight). At the top were two doors. The two-bedroom upper apartment had been split into two apartments, a one-bedroom and a studio. Bella's was the studio.

She turned the key and the knob, and squealed in excitement as she opened the door. She was adorable, and her excitement was catching.

The door opened.

It was a room, clean enough, squeaky wooden floor, "Nice, and look, there's the kitchen; and look, there's the... everything." _Studios_.

"Shush you, let's order pizza!"

"My treat!" I jumped onto her bed, devoid of trimmings. Actually I was checking how comfortable it was for her. Just her, not us, shut up body. I laid down with my arms behind my head and raised my eyebrows.

She threw the sheets at me, "fine, but while you order, I'm going to turn the bed, so get up!" She went to hit me with the pillow and I grabbed it, pulling her forward.

"As you wish," I growled playfully, and began to tickle her. She fell onto the bed on her knees, and then from her knees onto her back. I tickled her sides until she was gasping and giggling.

When she started to add some squeals, I stopped to let her breathe.

We were both laughing, "You are such an ass!" She was trying to be intimidating, but was still giggling.

My god, she was so beautiful. Her eyes were shining, her skin was flushed, she was breathing heavily, and her hair was splayed out on the bed in feathery clouds. I couldn't help it, I had an instant hard on.

I jumped back away from the bed and turned around. I cleared my throat, "I'll order pizza."

* * *

We sat on the floor watching TV with handfuls of pizza. I avoided the bed because of my earlier incident. "I can't believe this girl has HBO. We should watch more Game of Thrones this summer. What an amazing show..."

"True Blood will be on too, maybe you can come over Sundays-"

"Bleh! I hate that vampire crap-" Whoa, whoa, whoa, backtrack. She was inviting me over weekly? _Yes, please._ "But, you know, I should give it another try, and we could always use HBO-go to watch more Game of Thrones, right?"

She smiled at me and got up, starting to clean up the mess. I felt that this was a cue to go, and felt compelled to help her.

I wasn't sure how to leave... I certainly didn't want to. I started picking up random things and setting them back down, as if I was useful.

"I had a really great time, Bella. It's good to see you again." Awkward... I shifted a little.

"Thanks so much for making my first day in a new place fun, Jake. I could have been scared and alone, but instead I got to hang out with my best friend." She paused awkwardly, maybe not wanting to kick me out. I imagined her alone in her bed tonight- possibly afraid- and wanted desperately to be there with her.

"Yea, well... Good luck at work tomorrow..." I shuffled toward the door, inspiration! "Can you maybe give me a call when you're done? Let me know how it went?"

"Sure," she smiled looking relieved, "I'd like that."

"You gonna be okay?" I prolonged this awkward experience, "Like, want me to call you when I get home? Make sure I'm safe?" I grinned.

"If a truck hit you, I'd be more afraid for the truck," she started pushing me towards the door now that the awkwardness was disappearing in laughter.

"Aww, and here I was worrying about leaving you alone in a strange city..."

She snorted, "Yuh-huh, well, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here, buddy." She giggled again while pushing on me. I let her get me past the threshold and turned around. "If you're really worried, why don't we hang out on Friday after work? Then you'll know I'm still alive and everything."

She looked so sexy in the door jamb, and I felt kind of guilty thinking that way, but I didn't have to think twice for my answer: "Sounds good. See you Friday."

I leaned in for a hug, and she gave me a goodbye peck on the cheek. After our entirely one-sided platonic embrace, I pulled the door shut after me, ensuring the moment couldn't be ruined.

I ran downstairs, feeling like I could fly, feeling like I could run back to Forks, feeling like the sexiest, most beautiful, smart, funny, fun brunette that I'd ever met just kissed me. _Platonically._ Shut up brain! You know what? It's okay to be attracted to my best friend; how could I not be? She was hot, like hothothot hot for all forsaid reasons.

I was falling hard for Ms. Bella Swan.

* * *

**A/N:** This fic will follow a roughly accurate account of the months is pretends to represent. The days of the week are off, but release dates for TV shows, movies, and world events will be referenced with minimal alteration.


	4. Bella: First Day of Hope and Despair

_Thank __you __for __reading__; feedback is appreciated!__  
_

**_Rating_**_: (K+) __This __fic __will __eventually __be __NC__-17 __for __explicit __sexual __situations__, __and __chapters __with __adult __content __will __contain __warnings__. __This __chapter __has __light __swearing__._

**_Disclaimer_**_: __All __publicly __recognizable __characters__, __settings__, __etc__. __are __the __property __of __the ir__respective __owners__. __The __original__characters __and __plot __are __the __property __of __the __author__. __The __author __is __in __no __way __associated __with __the __owners__, __creators__, __or __producers__of __any __media __franchise__. __No __copy right __infringement __is __intended__._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**Metropolis****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**June**** 20, 2012**

**Ch**** 4: ****Bella**

I slept badly; my bedraggled hair concurred with me on this fact. I wasn't good at fussing over myself, but I did make an effort. I used extra strawberry conditioner, air dried my hair over breakfast (no hair dryer, plus I bolted awake three hours early). I ate leftover pizza and tea, feeling very much like a college student. After work I would have to go food shopping.

I sort of dressed to impress- wearing a knee length wool circle skirt and matching vest with my white top underneath. I shaved my legs carefully, and slipped on flats. After I got a look at the other interns, I might consider my sandals, but they were still casual.

I tried to apply makeup, but I ended up looking like a clown. My hand was shaking, and my blush looked caked on (this may have been related to my complete ignorance about makeup application), so I took everything off, scrubbed my face, and hoped for the best.

I was within walking distance of the print room, which was the nail in the coffin of my residence dilemma. Part of why I couldn't sleep was excitement about work, and part was excitement about independence.

I flew down the stairs, running early, and flung open the door to confront my new city. _If this were a musical, someone would start singing now._ The sky was blue and grey. The buildings were tall, though only towards the end of my block. I passed a newspaper stand and blushed with pride when I saw the Metropolitan Daily Planet- _my newspaper!_ Okay, not mine mine, but kind of mine.

This was my first apartment, first job, first day as an adult. I giggled. Eighteen- I still had a teen in my name- not sure if adult was overstepping the mark.

I pulled my chin up. People told me I was an old soul, and many amazing authors made important contributions to society by age eighteen. Just because we had infantilized society didn't make _me_ incapable.

These were my bold thoughts heading into the Planet building. For a second, I wished I had a smartphone so I could take a picture of the beautiful bronze globe at the top of the building. I didn't often make myself look touristy- but dang it, it was the most famous part of the Metro skyline and I worked there!

There was a sign-in desk in the lobby, and touchpad turnstiles behind that. Everything was mirrors and dark marble, with swirling bronze abstracts accenting the walls. I'd never been inside a place so... sophisticated. My boldness greatly diminished, I tiptoed up to security with an ID. A black man with a short fro and a name tag labeled 'Larry" looked at me expectantly.

I handed over the ID, "I'm an intern for the Daily Planet," I said in a small voice I couldn't make bigger.

"Ha! New intern day! Sign in please." He passed over a clipboard, "You're the first one here... Nervous?"

His smile was more disarming and kind than I had expected; it eased my nerves. "You could definitely say that. It's my first job," I whispered.

"You'll be fine- you're working with some good people- here comes one now," he raised his voice as a dapper man in a blue suit and tie walked up behind me. "Hey, Mike, you want to escort this lovely lady up to the Planet?"

"Boy would I! You just made my morning, Lars." Mike had watery blue eyes, a mousy nose, and mousy blonde hair. He looked athletic and über-American.

I felt a little nauseated with so much attention on me, " I don't want to be any trouble..."

"Ha! I _wish_ you were causing me trouble," there may have been an innuendo, but I didn't understand it if there was. "My name is Mike Newton, political contributor and journalist."

Instead of reaching out a hand, he put it to my back and started leading me. I didn't especially like the feeling it gave me- it seemed possessive. I remembered Jake doing it, and it feeling right, or better. "I'm Bella." _Better play nice with my new bosses_- I might end up on his beat, but I hoped not.

I gave Larry a farewell smile over my shoulder. "Bella, Bella for beautiful!" Mike said. _Never heard that one before, Prince Charming._ "Don't worry, I'll give you the grand tour, and introduce you to the mistress of the Planet herself- Mrs. Cope." We got on an elevator, and I tried not to be too nervous about being trapped in an elevator with Mike and his constant flirty smile. "She does everything- scheduling, assignments, takes calls, stocks coffee- everything important is all her!" His chuckle told me there was a private joke I wasn't getting. "Yessir, no paper without coffee, do you drink?"

"Drink? Coffee?" I sounded stupid, even to myself, but Mike was doing that really awkward elevator thing where he takes up the middle, so no matter where you stand, you feel too close to him.

"Well, yea, but now your response has got me curious. Do you drink?" He came closer. Stay in your allocated elevator spot! Two people, opposite corners!

"I drink coffee on occasion."

"Hmm, that's right, right out of high school. I think you and coffee will become good friends here. How old are you?"

God, longest elevator ride ever, "Eighteen."

He smiled like I had made his day... Again. "Yea, we should definitely get coffee. I know some great places. Maybe lunch?"

_Only if you promise to develop spatial awareness._ The elevator finally dinged. It was only a tall building after all, not an awkwardness conspiracy. I was saved from having to answer by blurting, "Oh, wow!"

It was so... gloriously typical! There were sort of cubicles, in that there were V desks scattered everywhere in no particular order that I yet knew. There were no barriers, except some walls on the sides, but the view! The far wall was floor to ceiling windows, and the view was from the 42nd floor. In the distance I could see the Rockies, and probably Forks nestled in there somewhere. I couldn't look away, it felt like I was flying.

"Yea, sometimes I forget how impressive that is," Mike sounded disinterested.

"How?" I stepped away from him, transfixed. Something shimmered in the foreground and added to the beauty- a bushy head of copper hair. It might have paled in comparison to they view, but the man it was attached to was so gorgeous that once again I couldn't look away. His skin was translucently pale, and he wore a dark blue shirt that offset his jewel-like eyes and rich hair perfectly. My mouth hung open a little. That was more beauty than a beauty pageant packed into a single man. He stood, gracefully, fluidly, and walked over to a V desk that was much wider than the others that sat in the middle of the room.

"Hey, Bella" Mike snapped in front of my face. " I know it's pretty, but let me show you the rest." I jerked my head to him with some effort- "Since you're early, I can show you some things like the members' cafeteria, the printing press, the IT room, and the roof garden. You might not get those on your tour. In fact, you might not be on this floor."

"There's more?" I was starting to feel overwhelmed.

"Sure, the editors are on the sides, along with the meeting rooms, but the administration is upstairs with the lawyers and photography stuff. How early are you?"

"An hour and a half. We still have a little over an hour until the orientation starts." At least he wasn't making me late, although that didn't make my anxiety go away.

"Ahh," Mike said sagely, "that's when you'll meet the Chief, but don't call him that, he hates it for some reason."

I swallowed, "The, uh, editor-in-chief?" I swallowed again, having a bit of panic caught in my throat, "P-Perry White?"

"None other than, someone's got to captain this ship."

I might faint. No- no. I got this. I dug my heels in, and inflated myself like a giant balloon-animal. "That's really cool," I managed to say.

Mike smirked at me, "Lets look around."

* * *

I sat across from Mike in a nearby coffee shop with Angela, Jessica, and Eric. Eric had been an intern like me. He kept a job at the Planet as a freelance photographer during undergrad, ended up changing his major, and was now a full time image editor for the paper.

I tried not to get excited, but it seemed like a lot of the journalists (including Mike and Jessica) and some of the photographers (such as Eric) started off as summer interns. I was by far younger than any of them had been. Usually the internship was only available to sophomores and juniors, but I had taken so many AP tests that I didn't have any 100 level classes left to take. I had saved myself an entire year of school by working tirelessly through high school. This internship was my award. Maybe, if I worked tirelessly in college... maybe there would be a job for me here, I was afraid to finish the thought.

The coffee was good, and I liked being in a group; it meant I didn't have to talk much. Angela seemed to feel similarly, but she seemed more content to be silent than shy, like me.

"We'll have to go out for a girls' night to introduce you to the city," Jessica was saying. "Do you have an ID?"

"Y-yea, I have a license. I just got a truck..."

"Is it good? Mine at your age was..." She giggled and leaned towards Mike, "horrendous! The person they gave me had dark eyes and curly dark hair, a horse face and buck teeth to boot!

_What were we talking about?_ I stayed quiet, "Jess, look at her, she doesn't have one, she doesn't even know what you're talking about!" Eric said not unkindly.

"I can drive," Mike didn't need to be thinking I needed a chauffeur as well.

Angela chuckled, "Bella, she means a fake ID. Don't worry, I didn't have one either... at your age."

"That's right, Jess. She's an innocent, not like you." Mike moved his chair closer to me, smiling.

"Like us, if anything," Jess muttered, and I was inclined to agree with her. What Mike said next confirmed my instincts.

"What are you doing Jess! Don't get her trashed in some club! Her first experience in the real world should be at a private party."

"Gee, I wonder whose private party that could be."

"Anyway! Bella needs to get back to Cope to receive her first assignment. Did you have any questions about the internship? We three would be the ones to ask." Eric gave a winning smile while Angela gathered our trash and started throwing it away.

I recited, "Eight weeks, two per beat. First beat you have a mentor, second beat you write, third beat you interview, fourth beat, you bring in a story to the Chief." Deep breath, "Easy."

"It's an eight week interview, you are so lucky," Jessica whispered. I felt light headed. "At your age, I'm not sure I could have handled the responsibility. I'm so glad it was my summer before senior year when I did this- just in time for a job." She flipped her hair, and I saw Ben and Angela look at each other.

"I think your youth is really impressive, Bella. You must have worked hard" I knew Mike was trying to make it better, but I was blushing at the compliment and feeling sick again. Eric hit me on the back reassuringly and I coughed.

We walked back together and entered the building. I had just calmed my nerves enough before the coffee, but now I felt wired and self-conscious.

On the ride up, Angela was looking over my resume to predict which beat I would start with, "Your first assignment will probably be on the crime beat based on your résumé. You'll be working with Jessica at some point."

Mike looked crestfallen and muttered, "Ugh, but him too."

Jessica muttered, "Like Edward will have anything to do with her."

I felt a thrill of nervousness based on people's reactions, and after I thanked Angela and stepped away I asked Jess, Eric and Mike what I had to be worried about.

"He's cold as a fish," Jessica started. "Aloof, thinks he's too good for us." Her words said one thing, but she was looking longingly toward a desk.

"Just because Edward Cullen wouldn't sleep with you..." Mike was saying. I follow Jessica's eyed and landed on the jewel of a man from earlier. His eyes lifted and met mine.

I felt lost. His eyes were even more beautiful than I imagined- a many faceted dark emerald and fern green. My heart sped, my knees went weak, and I realized I was staring, and he saw me staring. I blushed slowly and completely-head to toes. My total embarrassment reminded me, and allowed me, to look away.

Mike, Eric and Jessica looked upset, and I was just glad they weren't noticing my glowing face.

"That's not the only reason, you dick," Jessica continued. "There's something very odd and separate about him, and he isn't exactly nice."

"That's true," Mike continued as if he hadn't just been insulted, "He's not an ideal first mentor for you, Bella. Maybe we can get you switched to one of our beats."

My eyes were magnetically drawn back to the beautiful, solitary man. I knew I wanted very much to be closer to him, but I felt like it might be the same way a moth feels about a lantern. His eyes flickered back up towards me, and I jerked mine away as if burned. I looked at Mike, but thought that I might have offended the jewel, and now I really needed to be closer to him.

"We don't even know that she'll be with him, guys." Eric's words of comfort actually made me feel slightly disappointed. "Mike, since you're so worried, take her to Cope. See you, Bella, good luck."

Mike led me to the central V desk, chatting. "Even if you end up with Cullen as a mentor, it will only be for a week or two. The election is coming up, so I'm sure you'll be placed with me at some point as well," we were in front of the desk now. "Right, Ms. Cope?"

He was trying to be charming, but she squared her thin shoulders, looked the two of us up and down, and said definitively, "Ms. Swan will be working on the crime beat. Ms. Stanley and Mr. Cullen will be her mentors, Michael." Mike looked sick.

"I'll be fine. I can handle myself," I said to Mike.

"I'm not trying to say you can't," Mike said in a way that implied that I couldn't.

"Good. Then everything will be fine." I turned to Jessica, "Would you mind introducing me?"

Jessica led me towards his desk, and I tried not to stare at _him_. It took a lot of concentration, but my body hummed with the knowledge that I would be introduced to him soon. Jess stepped in front of the fan, explaining that the air conditioner was broken again, and the waft of perfume that blew into my face made me gag. Between my choke, and concentrating on not looking at Edward Cullen, I caught my foot on the edge of a desk and lost my shoe.

Blushing once again, so furiously I could feel the roots of my hair, I bent, retrieved the shoe, and finally stepped in front of the fan to reach the other desks.

My hair was blown about my face, and I tried to quickly fix it and make sure I didn't trip over anybody else. I may have nervously ran my fingers through the waves a couple of times in anticipation of meeting this Adonis... _I mean, Edward Cullen._ I had to start thinking of him as a person.

I looked up and gasped at the deep emerald green that smoldered back at me. Although the eyes were still beautiful, they were those of an angry god. In fact, they looked murderous. I swallowed and stalled, because even though I wasn't sure why, I was pretty sure Edward Cullen wanted to kill me.

Jessica was talking, but I couldn't hear her. Edward Cullen's anger was washing over me like fire. I couldn't move or I would be stepping into the flames.

When Jess stopped talking, I was dimly aware that there was some kind of social cue expected of me, and I fought my terror valiantly to raise a hand towards him. "Nice to meet you," I said with a parched throat.

He looked at it as if it were a coiled snake, and moved his chair back. His eyes rebuked me with disgust. I took a step back and let my hand fall.

"Okay... Edward's acting ever weirder than normal. Don't worry, Bella, he's just a germaphobe- he doesn't shake anybody's hand, ever." She started pulling me with her, "Sorry to bother you Edward, we'll talk later. Bella, my desk is right over here."

My eyes had welled a bit with unshed tears. No one had ever hated me on sight with such vehemence before, and I desperately wanted to be liked by my mentors. All my dreams of getting a job here felt crushed. I couldn't be sure, but Jessica didn't seem to like me that much either- which meant my first two weeks were going to be worse than an uphill battle- more like Sisyphus trying to get up the hill with that boulder.

Jessica seemed to take pity on me, and started gently explaining some of her basic responsibilities. I blinked back tears, felt my shoulders relax, and was just about to have some hope when I heard a thunderous smack and the groan of metal. I saw Edward Cullen practically running for the stairs to my right. He was bustling through the desks with violent desperation, and then he was gone.

From the moment of impact until the moment he disappeared I had frozen. Someone had dumped ice water on me, and I was in shock. Slowly I began to thaw.

"See? Weirdo." Jessica said. "He goes off alone a lot. Don't worry about it." I nodded stiffly, and slowly jerked around to look at the desk he had vacated. It seemed off- a little too close to the ground, and though it was rude to Jess, I had to look closer. I half stood to see any clues to this mysteriously wrathful god...

There, in the center of the desk, was the indent of his perfect palm.

* * *

**A/N:** I try to use names mindfully. For example, whether Bella calls Jessica "Jess", or Edward "Mr. Cullen" will indicate something about their state of mind. They aren't typos ^.^


	5. Edward: Time Slowed

_Thank you for reading, and for your patience during the slight delay. I was sick with bronchitis over the last week, and of course the holidays come with family obligations._

_**Rating**: (T) This chapter contains mildly graphic language__. Also, angst._

_**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**Metropolis ****City****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**June**** 20, 2012**

**Ch**** 5: ****Edward**

Time slowed. This happened during the hunt, during the fight, when I was at my fastest. Ms. Swan's bouncy feather-soft hair looked as if it were completely still. I could see each individual strand- saw that she didn't blow dry it this morning, saw that she had put on some makeup earlier and then removed it- some still graced her neck by her ear.

_Ha, as if she needed to look more enticing to me._

She was midstep when her smell hit me, and her foot had just fallen. I saw the way the impact shifted her weight in the angle of her shoulders. My eyes were still glued to her delicious looking neck. Her hair was across her face, and she had been reaching up to gather it behind one ear. The way her hand slid across her cheek, grazing her skin and leaving pink tracks invisible to the human eye, made my breath catch.

How could she be bringing blood to the surface of her clear pale skin when I was not? Blood so close to the surface that it sang to me in beats- for I could hear Ms. Swan's pattering heart, without a doubt. It beat quickly and irregularly, as if it sensed I could hear it. I felt that the two of us were having a conversation about Ms. Swan's future, or lack thereof.

I was already imagining the path my fingers would take, echoing hers. They would start under her eye, brushing her cheek and caressing her ear. Then they would trace downwards, merely visiting her neck on the way to her clavicle. Her heartbeat and I would tease each other- her, throbbing at the surface into my touch, and I, prolonging the ecstasy of her blood. My fingers would brush back into her fragrant mane of chestnut hair, and as my palm reached her spine to hold her to me, I would trace my lips along the path my fingers had taken, finally resting on her neck. There I would nuzzle her, and drink in her scent till I was drunk on it, knowing once she was bitten, I would never smell it again.

My fangs had descended and filled my mouth with venom, and I swallowed it rather than drool. The _human_ part of me was also reacting to my fantasies- something that would have filled me with disgust if I had been less concerned with just how I was going to get Ms. Swan alone to rip her throat out and gorge myself on her insides.

My initial reaction had been to jump out from behind my desk and eat her right there, but fifty years of training held me in check halfway out of my seat. _If I did that, I would have to kill all of these other people, and then I wouldn't have a job._ This was remarkably complex thinking for someone in my state of mind.

I settled on leering at Ms. Swan, absorbing her desirability to the fullest and bathing in my senses, since I had time. Ms. Swan was on her second step towards me, and she was combing silky hair with thin, nimble fingers. I wanted to suck them, to see what they tasted like. Then, I wanted to break them and hear her screams, and then I would drink her screams as I bit out her tongue and swallowed her blood.

I finally took in the rest of her shape, as I would be holding it firmly when I ended her life. She was petite, not short, but slender, leggy, with noticeable curves. Her breasts were a B or a C on her slender rib cage, and her hips were, my human brain registered, perfect... and... fertile. I started considering that maybe, before I bit into her, I would run my hands all over her, to memorize her perfection before I consumed it.

She was on her third step, and her body bounced. Her vest tried to conceal her slight waist and soft skin, but I could see through her white shirt, through the fibers attempting to conceal my meal. The monster and human in me wanted to taste her- everywhere- catalogue every part and flavor of her, but it was not to be, we knew I would kill before we got that far.

Jessica started addressing me, making noises with her brain. Her petty jealousies sounded garbled and so much slower than my world, which was consumed with the hunt for Ms. Swan.

Perhaps I could invite her out to coffee, like a normal coworker. I could whisk her to an alley and end it. If not, maybe I could wait until she needed to eat, use the bathroom, or make a copy. These might be too obvious, and her body might be found, but I wouldn't last the rest of the workday without making a move. I pulled from Jessica's head that she had gotten coffee, and from Mike's that he had shown her the roof garden. Angela and Eric had fondness for her as well, and would notice if she suddenly disappeared.

_Well, what did she want?_ Surely I could find _something_ to provide her to get her alone somewhere. I noticed I hadn't heard much from her, which before had made her far less noticeable.

I listened... and panicked. _Nothing_. _How could there be_ nothing? Not a whisper, and she wasn't brain dead. Surely, she must have been intelligent to make it to this internship at her age. She blushed constantly, her heart was trying to leap from her chest into my mouth, _so how on God's Green Earth did I hear_ nothing?

Why hadn't I noticed before, when she looked at me and blushed? What was she? Was she human? At once I wished the answer were not true, it would explain my overwhelming attraction if she were something other than human... But no, that smell, her glorious smell, was a human one.

I looked into her honey-brown eyes once again, and my first reaction was wanting to taste them, to eat them and see if they really tasted like honey. Revulsion finally coursed through my thoughts. Although I was staring into her eyes, Jessica's perfume was present, finally masking her smell. I was able to think a little clearer, instead of fantasizing about honey irises.

Revulsion for myself, and hatred for this girl, flashed through me like a bad hangover. The ecstasy before was matched by my bitter disgust. I hated her because in her eyes I saw that she was innocent. I couldn't read her thoughts, but every muscle twitch was a tell. I could read her like an open book. She had been excited to meet me, and my reaction was just in the midst of killing that fantasy. Her tear ducts would well soon... (I fought the fantasy about the taste of her tears, and other bodily fluids) she did not understand my reaction, she did not know that I could read minds, and my inability to read hers was a threat. She did not know that she smelled perilously delicious.

Her heart stalled slightly, along with her steps. _Before her heart had been excited or afraid, and now she was shocked?_ _Was this Ms. Swan's version of fear, so different than other people's?_ I actively tried to read her mind again and heard nothing. My fist clenched under the desk, and Jessica was about to finish talking. I needed her to stay so her cloying scent would suffocate Ms. Swan's fragrant masterpiece of bar soap, strawberry shampoo, deodorant, detergent and sweat. I had to swallow another mouthful of venom after that thought.

I hadn't even planned how I was going to talk to Ms. Swan without breathing and accidentally attacking her. Soon the Jessica buffer would be gone- and then what?

Our eyes were still locked, and I was contemplating feigned sickness when Ms. Swan did the most suicidally stupid thing I'd ever encountered, she floated her hand towards me and spoke in a clear light voice, "Nice to meet you."

My control and my hunger raced to my brain stem to see who would control my body. I glared at this idiot girl, wafting her ridiculous molecules up my nose, filling my ears with her singsong voice I could imagine too well as a scream. To my surprise, I pushed my chair back away from her and snarled instead of launching myself at her amazing vocal cords, encased in delicious blood.

That seemed to be enough of a hint. Ms. Swan actually backed away from me, and Jessica made some excuse so they would leave. _To the Himalayas, I hope._

Even then, I was pretty sure I would follow and hunt Ms. Swan down. Her heart beats were heavy and thick, and I wondered how _that_ rhythm of blood would feel in my mouth as opposed to her bird-like panicked rhythm. She turned away, Angela following behind, and I again watched the muscles in her back and legs react to the impact of the floor.

This time, as she walked away, I imagined pretending to pick up a dropped letter, or a coin, and then running my hand up the inside of her leg, feeling her pulse get stronger as I neared her femoral artery. I would lift her skirt, push her back onto a desk, and sink my teeth into her, smelling the musk of her carefully concealed genitalia.

I groaned, too low for the human ear to hear. To my horror, Jessica was sitting the girl at her desk, less than ten feet from me, and in a direct line between me and the fan.

If I could have paled in fear, I would have. This girl was going to be my destruction. In killing her, I would disappoint myself and Carlisle, I would expose myself, if not my race, and I would lose this careful life of mediocre fulfillment I had pieced together.

I didn't know if I should be angry at the fates, at god, or at this infuriating little girl, but I was livid. Every time that fan blew toward me, I would come torturously close to killing everyone in this room. After the first time, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist the repeated taunting.

_I have to get out of here._

I was afraid to breathe, afraid I would have to speak, afraid not to breathe her scent- the most thrilling experience of my life, at an end one way or another. I could make a run for the bathroom, no one could question that, then I would suddenly have a stomach virus, and I would leave. To where, I didn't know; it didn't matter.

Out of habit, I took my Nikon out of the desk and slammed it. I stood to go, and little Ms. Swan sat right in front of me, taunting me. I wanted to stay- to do work, to pretend to be human, to be able to get through a day without feeling like a serial killer, but I couldn't because of her. Her shoulders slumped, and through Jessica's mind I saw her face scrunched with disappointment, blinking rapidly to hold back tears. I heard Jessica think, _I knew Edward would never fall for her, but did he have to be so cruel?_

_As if I didn't hate myself already! As if my life wasn't already a walking nightmare, just barely bearable!_ I slammed my hand down onto my desk, and heard snaps and creaks. Knowing I had done some inhuman damage only frustrated me more. I saw Ms. Swan's face through Jessica's mind and knew I'd done some human damage as well. My anger was building, and there was only one way to get rid of it. I had to run.

_Screw the bathroom trip,_ I grabbed my bag and slowed my rush enough to look human. I couldn't help casting the image of Ms. Swan's face into my permanent memory. I took the stairs and sprinted up. Once I was on the service roof, I bounded to the next building. I was moving so fast all people would see was a blur, and then they wouldn't know what they saw. I leaped from building to building, heading North. I debated stopping in to see Carlisle, Esme, or Alice, but I needed to get as far away from _her_ as possible. I pulled out my phone and texted them.

Before I finished typing, Alice sent, "See you in a couple of days."

* * *

**A/N:** Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's Edward Cullen, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!


	6. Bella: Contingency Plans

_Thank __you __for __reading__; feedback is appreciated!__  
_

**_Rating_**_: (K+) __This __chapter __has __light __swearing__._

**_Disclaimer_**_: __All __publicly __recognizable __characters__, __settings__, __etc__. __are __the __property __of __the ir__respective __owners__. __The __original__characters __and __plot __are __the __property __of __the __author__. __The __author __is __in __no __way __associated __with __the __owners__, __creators__, __or __producers__of __any __media __franchise__. __No __copy right __infringement __is __intended__._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**Metropolis ****City****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**June**** 20, 2012**

**Ch**** 6: ****Bella**

_What just happened? What did I do? What did- How did he do that?_ I swallowed and debated pointing out the desk to Jessica. He had... It looked like he had slammed it so hard, it had bent in the middle. Were they that flimsy?

"Could you get me a coffee Bella?" _What?_ She had seemed almost nice before, but I was pretty sure I wasn't supposed to be making coffee runs. I had a lot on my mind, so I said it was okay. I wouldn't, however, let this turn into a habit.

There was a coffee pot in the corner, before you entered the lounge or the stairs for the cafeteria. As I poured coffee the way Jessica liked it, I thought of my dilemma.

I wanted to work in journalism, or I thought I wanted to work in journalism. I could never do what my father did to keep the peace, but I loved writing and literature, and I wanted to do something to serve the public with my skills. I would have liked a job with the Daily Planet, especially since I had an internship here and originally I thought they would hire me. Now that I knew better, what would be my plan?

I poured the coffee and thought about the different people I'd met on my first day. Whereas Angela and Eric struck me as good people who shared my philosophy, I actually had to work with people like Jessica, who wanted me for my skills obtaining coffee. Then, there were people like Mike, who always wanted something for themselves, and finally there were people like Edward Cullen, who, let's face it, hated me for no reason.

I needed to make this experience work for me. My first beat was a crime beat, so I needed to work with that. I knew I needed an angle. Eventually, I would have to come up with a pitch and an article for the paper, and that was probably what they would use as my final evaluation for a job.

A local crime blog would be perfect.

I packaged the coffee, realizing that my father could help me scout out leads and find contacts for information. I just had to find the right medium, subject matter, and questions to wow my bosses. I would start a blog tonight, digging up whatever info I could to start with, and devote at least two hours a day to my endeavor.

I headed back to Jessica's desk and made sure to swing by Edward's as well. Even if he hated me, if he was that upset, the last thing he needed was his boss or coworkers asking awkward questions about his desk. Thinking of it as training for blogging and investigation, I pretended to almost spill the drink out of clumsiness. I set it down on Edward's desk, adjusted my shoe, and pulled a random piece of paper from a stack on the desk to cover the indent. No one noticed. I brought the coffee to Jessica, feeling sneaky.

I had had a full day at the Daily Planet by the time I stepped out of doors. The sun was still high in the sky at six o'clock in the evening, and I knew I was going to fall asleep early.

I had to do three things: shop for groceries, call Jacob, and start my blog. The rest was sleep.

Trader Joe's was only a walk away from work, and i headed there even though I knew one should never shop while hungry. I was a conservative shopper, except when it came to food, and Trader Joe's was so affordable that I might have overdone it a bit.

The girl I was renting from had left basic spices and said I could use them, so I bought things like pasta, cereal, fruit, canned goods, milk, juice and bread.

Weighted down with four grocery bags, I wobbled back to my apartment. I kicked the door lightly with my foot, barely able to maneuver my hand. I squeaked up the steps feeling pregnant with groceries, and I finally dropped the bags when I needed to open my apartment door. I was out of breath from my up-until-now necessarily sedentary lifestyle. Necessary because I was a completely unreliable klutz. I had once second-degree burned Jacob with tea at our Christmas Eve dinner with the Blacks.

_Jacob!_

I didn't want him to worry about me. I had told him I might have to work late, but I also wanted to talk to him about my frankly weird day. I put away my groceries pretty quickly, having already decided where most of the stuff was going.

My shoes were off, I put on water for tea, folded myself into the comfy fluff chair in front of the TV, and hit Jacob on my speed dial. The phone rang four times, and I was worried about not reaching anyone. Billy did eventually pick up, and called Jake to the phone. I was a little worried he was busy doing something else, and I was interrupting.

"Bella!" My heart fluttered with how happy he was to hear from me. We were able to fit back together like puzzle pieces after a whole year apart. "How was your first day?"

"Good... Weird. Mostly weird, but also good, and overwhelming." I started by recounting how I felt a little overwhelmed by all the expectations, and the pressure of working for such a famous paper. He once again assured me that I was the smartest person he knew, and I was going to be fine. Somehow his confidence made me comfortable enough to share what was really bothering me. I told him most of the details about Jessica, like how she seemed to treat me as a walking coffee cart.

The kettle whistled, and I made a pot of chamomile, since I was already wired from the coffee I had earlier.

"So you're stuck with her for two weeks? It sucks, but you'll make it through."

"Not just her," I finally said. Edward's burning gaze was leaving scar tissue in my concentration. He didn't just look like he hated me, or even like he wanted to hurt me; he looked like he wanted to consume me, and I felt terrified and drawn at the same time. I couldn't even tell Jacob that embarrassing stuff; he would freak out, "There's another guy on the beat, Edward Cullen, and he seemed to take an immediate and intense disliking to me."

Jacob was silent on the other end. When he responded, his voice was low and angry, like a growl, "Did he hurt you in any way?" Oh gosh, I couldn't have Jacob trying to swoop in and fix things.

"No no no!" That was mostly true. He had only hurt my feelings- blurgh, how pathetic. "He just looked at me, with really intense hatred." I choked up a little, "I don't think I'm going to get a job offer, since my first boss hates me already."

He snorted. It angered and comforted me when he treated my anxiety with derision, which was often. "No one can hate you on first sight, Bella."

"Oh, please. You're biased as my best friend." He was almost like my dad in his positive view of me- completely unwarranted.

"Nuh-uh! You have no idea what you're like. This Jessica chick is clearly just jealous you're naturally beautiful and sweet. Yeah, you're a little shy and clumsy- but there is nothing to dislike about you."

I was blushing, and paused with tea in my mouth. Was Jacob always like this? He was always good at teasing me out of being down on myself, but was I always blushing this much at his compliments, or were they getting steadily more embarrassing?

My silence spurred him on to fill the void. He talked for another ten minutes about the shop, and some details about his year. By the end levity had returned as he countered my self-deprecating humor with his hubris. I was finally able to confide what was weighing on my mind, "So, I'm thinking of keeping a blog this summer, to make sure I have something to show for the experience. Not a big deal, really, but just having some practice writing articles, publishing, and using connections even if Jessica keeps me making coffee and Cullen sits me in a time out corner..."

"Sounds like a solid idea. Be careful around that Cullen asshole. Don't let him make you do anything you don't want to. Better you pave your own way than let him control you."

"That wasn't the vibe I was getting. I really think he can't stand my presence for some reason."

"Sometimes guys try to make girls feel bad about themselves and prey on their poor self esteem. You're a prime target since you have no idea... Ugh, never mind."

I was all sorts of confused, but more than a little offended. "No, Jacob, tell me, why am I such a target? I would _love_ to hear it."

"Down kitty," _Jerk_. "You just... The chances of him being attracted to you are better than the chances of him hating you on sight, so it's more likely he's trying to manipulate you than anything."

This is familiar fighting grounds for Jacob and I, and I allowed some familiar acidity to color my sarcasm. "I'm so glad you manage to maintain a condescending tone while making absolutely no sense."

"See this is why I was saying never mind Bella! You don't ever freaking believe when people compliment you and it's dangerous. You're an adult now, you're going to have to get used to being beautiful."

His genuinely aggravated tone put me over the edge and this time I did sputter tea back into my cup and cough. While I blushed and tried to think of an appropriate response to get him to reign in his exaggerated view of a small town childhood friend living in a big city, he apparently decided he was in for a penny, in for a pound.

"Cause you are, you know, beautiful, and the longer you walk around not being able to own it, the more you're going to run into Jessica's and Edwards who will manipulate you because they can tell you clearly don't know what you're capable of... So all I'm saying is... Good luck with your blog. I think."

"Uh..." _Oh my goodness, what do I even say to all this? Own that I'm... what?_ "Jacob, you are definitely overreacting-"

"Argh, Bella, this is exactly what I'm talking about!"

"And this is exactly what I'm talking about!" _Bam, impasse._ We paused, both breathing into the phone. I didn't know what to do with my hands. I wasn't even the prettiest girl in Forks, let alone good looking enough to be considered beautiful in one of the most prestigious environments of my chosen profession. The only thing that I felt underestimated about was my ability to protect myself. "Thank you, Jake," I was finally able to say. "I do appreciate your support. A _lot_." I poured as much sincerity into that statement as possible, trying not to be as condescending as Jake, or sound as condescending as I was apparently feeling.

He sighed, resigned. Lost the battle, still in it for the war... _Oh, Jake._ "You have it. Undoubtably. Forever. I am not going anywhere Bella, and you are going to kick major journalistic ass, or whatever. I'll be your first follower- what's the blog gonna be on?"

"My first beat is local crime, so..."

"That sounds like a stupid idea-" _Ah! What a frustrating man!_ Before we fought again, we both realized this was going to go nowhere, and we paused before rehashing the same crap we _just_ fought about.

I gritted my teeth and stretched the truth, "I'm just saying I want to explore my neighborhood, and some of the surrounding neighborhoods, for some material to blog about." Yes, that is how I'd start, but eventually I'd use connections to filter out some neighborhood crime issues.

Jake surprised me, "Am I still seeing you on Friday?" _Change subject much?_

"Yea, why?" I try not to make it sound like I think he's crazy, or on his period.

"Good. Okay." This calmed him, a lot, and it made me a little nervous to be almost lying to him about my intentions. "Just be... It doesn't make sense to investigate your own neighborhood too deeply, right? It will be like painting a target sign on your door for local criminals and riffraff."

"_Riffraff_? Have you been watching James Dean movies again?"

"Ha. Ha. Just... Wouldn't it be smarter to work away from where you live? And, you still have your dad's pepper spray, right?"

I sighed loudly, "yes. God, Jake, you sound like my dad."

He imitated my voice in a whiny pitch, "You sound like my dad," and then he surprised me again, "Then, go get 'em, Tiger."

For the first time, I felt his confidence in me, and it flushed through me like a warm wave, like coming out of the shadow into the sun. I smiled slowly and widely, wishing I could give him a hug, and said, "Will do."

"See you Friday."

"See you." Our voices had gotten softer, and I felt a shy rush of desire to see him, to feel his hand in mine. He was so big now, he would probably dwarf me, but that just made it feel more necessary.

He was the first to hang up, and when I felt a jolt of disappointment, I realized I was probably the worst best friend ever. If I didn't stop the way this was going, I was going to ruin our friendship with a stupid hormonal crush.

* * *

**A/N:** Please forgive any mistakes I make about the world of newspaper publication. It is probably nothing like this, but we are talking about a supernatural universe/superheroes, so it's whatever we want it to be! Suspend disbelief!

I do have a friend that works for _The New York Times_, whom I will farm for information!


	7. Edward: Puffins and Parents

_Thank __you __for __reading__; feedback is appreciated!__  
_

**_Rating_**_: (K+) __This __chapter __has a lot of angst__. Also, anyone under ten that can understand all this vocabulary is a BOSS._

**_Disclaimer_**_: __All __publicly __recognizable __characters__, __settings__, __etc__. __are __the __property __of __the ir__respective __owners__. __The __original __characters __and __plot __are __the __property __of __the __author__. __The __author __is __in __no __way __associated __with __the __owners__, __creators__, __or __producers __of __any __media __franchise__. __No __copy right __infringement __is __intended__._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**Haida ****Gwaii**** (****Formerly ****Queen ****Charlotte ****Islands****), ****Canada**

**June**** 21, 2012 04:00 ****AM**

**Ch**** 7: ****Edward**

I sat in white pants and nothing else, looking out at the not-quite-arctic expanse from the northwest edge of Haida Gwaii, and counting the puffins.

I had run for about 700 miles north at top speed, and arrived at about midnight. I had run so fast I hardly had time to think- faster than the human eye would care to see. I had run from Metropolis through the wilds of Canada until I had reached the the most secluded place within a day of Seattle I could possibly find.

Since it was summer in the northern hemisphere, there was water close to rocks, and the puffins were happy with their young. Puffins were ideal creatures. They could fly, which excited me. They had feathers, which made them unappetizing companions, and they were playful and fiercely loyal to their families. Puffins will form careful families for decades, living together before having chicks, and caring equally for the eggs. I preferred their families to that of humans.

Another pang of bitterness drilled further into my corrupt heart. I would never reproduce like normal humans- from what I understood, I couldn't even fornicate without hurting a human. Coitus was a joy I spent no time missing, but children... I watched the young puffins play with each other and their parents, skirting into and out of danger for amusement. I looked out at their front lawn, an endless horizon of icy slopes and crystal sunlight, and felt both longing and loneliness.

If I wasn't human, as I clearly was not, then why was I here? Why on earth was I... on earth? Carlisle seemed to be at peace with our alien nature. We hunted people, and other living things, for sustenance. If we didn't, we felt excruciating pain and couldn't bear to be in the company of humans. Worse yet, we had the desire not to only feed, but to kill. My violent inclinations began in high school in the fifties. I was smaller than the other boys, probably because my growth had already slowed, and it was the fashion of the time to pick on boys like me. That had not... ended well.

So here I was, a killer, superior to my prey in all physical aspects except the ability to love. Carlisle would argue that I was as capable of love as he, but in my sixty years, that had never been the case. Not even my parents...

I felt a knot form in my throat at the thought of them. I began the mantra that helped me ebb the grief and self hatred that would drive me mad if I let it flow. Carlisle was my father now. He was blessed with the ability to love, to overcome his thirst for blood and violence, and he loved me. I did not want to disappoint him.

Now that my determination had returned, it shifted once again to rage at the girl who was gumming everything up for me. She was innocently and single-handedly ruining my life. I could only now, after hours of deliberation and solitude, think of her with any measure of control. My mouth still watered like pavlov's dog when her image crossed my mind, and my rage followed.

Why did she smell so fantastic?! Why couldn't I hear her thoughts like I could everyone else?! She was so innocent, so beautiful, and so... infuriating! How could I continue my mediocre existence with her mouthwatering aroma taunting my every breath? I would surely kill her, and then Carlisle would disown me, or renounce me, and the solitude would kill me. I would die slowly, of course, and ultimately at my own indestructible hands, but I would die.

If Carlisle and Esme hadn't found me half a century ago, that was the way I was going... a painfully slow demise into insanity. Either I would have killed myself in grief and despair, or my self-damning penchant for homicidal madness would have forced the hand of others like me.

Others like me... just like the perpetrator of the exsanguinated body waiting for my report in Metropolis. The murderer, serial killer, was still at large, and innocent mortals were continuing to live in ignorance. (At the thought of innocence, Ms. Swan's distraught face flashed across my mind, accompanied by the drooling, guilt, and rage. The usual.)

_I can't even think in peace!_

I'd never wanted to kill someone because the mere thought of them was so disturbing, but annoyance was starting to play a considerable role in my thoughts regarding Ms. Swan. At the same time, I'd never hungered for someone so strongly. Finally, now that I had had some time to think on the frozen tundra, I could admit that I had never been so concerned about the... happiness of a mortal so unconnected with me before. I wanted her to smile and laugh. I wanted to be near her, and not eat her.

Unfortunately, my desire to drink her dry was much stronger than any of the other feelings I was having; even now it was difficult to think around the venom in my mouth. If she were any closer than a thousand miles away, I wouldn't be able to think past my thirst and my extreme self loathing. Ever since smelling her, I was stuck on some hellish emotional roller coaster. Sometimes I wondered if I was developmentally stuck in a state of adolescent depression. It's too bad meds won't work on me. I tried. I had a Ph.D in Psychiatry.

Mantras worked. Extreme concentration worked. I had unfinished business in Metropolis, and I was determined to figure out a way around this problem. I took a soothing breath, icy cold, though temperature meant almost nothing to me. All of my kind preferred extreme cold to extreme heat. The cold made us calmer, slowed us down, allowed us to focus more singularly.

It occurred to me that the heat in Metropolis, and the increase in human perspiration, was one of the factors making my life more difficult. The answer was a simple one, and would help me with the Swan problem as well; I would stop breathing. Of course I had done this before; I had gone deep underwater for long periods of time, and held my breath around blood as a necessity. I would just treat Ms. Swan like a walking open wound. I couldn't unhear her galloping heartbeat, but I could prevent her smell for the most part.

As for not being able to hear her thoughts, this was a security risk, one that Carlisle would be very interested to hear about. What I needed was advice, not this bleak wasteland.

Finally, I thought, as I stood up to leave, I would have to control my self hatred the same as always. I would continue my research, my job, keep Ms. Swan alive, please Carlisle, and hold back the despair with sheer will. Perhaps I could talk to Alice, who was experienced at controlling her emotions beyond her years.

_If I hurry back, I will only have missed one day of work_, I thought with the first gleam of hope since that damned fan blew Ms. Swan into my life. I took some shots of the pacific sunrise, so early in the morning, and some puffins, because they were darn cute and their lives were fragile, and raced at my best pace southwards.

* * *

**Outside ****of ****Forks****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**June**** 21, 2012 05:00 ****PM**

"Good Evening, Carlisle, Esme," I said as soon as I had unlocked the door. They could hear me from anywhere in the house, and had probably heard my approach. I, too, had listened to see if they were enjoying some... personal time, but Alice might have warned them that I was coming, so they were enjoying each others company in non-sexual ways tonight. It didn't stop their thoughts of carnal appreciation though. Sigh.

"Edward! Good to have you home," Esme said quietly. There was no need to be loud, and we were able to inflect clearly even at a low volume. _I __hope __he__'__s __okay__._

I saw Esme's frown of concern through Carlisle's eyes, _He__'__s __okay __Esme__,_ he reassured her with a hand squeeze, _You __can __stop __worrying __now__._

I felt a familiar pang of guilt. The only downside of having such a loving family was that I was constantly aware of how ungrateful and hurtful I was. It was an endless cycle. I was unhappy/lonely/angry/resentful/upset, which made me appear depressed. This was inevitable considering my situation and my history. At least I was able to be with humans, and could enjoy my life and my pursuits in various ways. Anyway, my depressed appearance would worry Esme and Carlisle, and I would feel guilty for worrying them, which only added to other negative feelings I was constantly trying to conceal.

I couldn't force the happiness, the demand was too constant. If I left, however, as I had just done and often did when I was distraught, that too worried my adopted parents. Esme was miserable without me in her family, for some reason. Even the addition of Alice didn't seem to make her attachment to me any less suffocating.

Here I went again, mentally hyperbolizing and ungrateful. I felt a fresh stab of guilt. They were everything to me, and a wonderful family. Esme beamed her undying love for Carlisle on a minute-to-minute basis. She just had so much love. Love left over for me, for Alice, and more yet. I couldn't understand why it didn't lessen when I hurt her, when I was miserable company, when there were others more worthy of that love to receive it. I didn't understand why either of them cared so much for me; it didn't make sense.

Knowing I was miserable company didn't exactly improve the situation. I did what I usually did to mitigate my irksome presence; I sat at the piano and began to play.

Chopin's Prelude in E Minor. Sadness leeched out of me through the keys. The music soaked up some of my feelings and made the pressing guilt easier to bear. I heard Esme and Carlisle coming downstairs, so I seamlessly transitioned into Esme's piece now that I was feeling better.

They would have of course heard the Chopin, but hopefully they would understand what I meant by the shift- that I wanted to be better than I was capable of- that I came home because I needed help.

"So what happened at work, and where did you go?" Esme began. She sat on the edge of our couch as still as a statue. When our kind were alone, we didn't feel the need to put on "the human show", and allowed ourselves to slip into our alien nature.

I continued playing, this time slipping into Chopin's Nocturne, a piece difficult and peaceful enough to distract my reactions to thinking about Ms. Swan. "I encountered someone whose blood smelled..." Venom flooded my mouth, forcing me to swallow before I could continue. Swallowing the venom caused a familiar burning of hunger. I could feel the fire in my mouth, throat, stomach and groin. I felt the need to feed and my fangs descended. I continued to play, continued to concentrate, and finished, "so enticing... or rather, delicious, that I almost killed a whole floor of co-workers just to taste it." Why pull punches? I hadn't actually killed anyone, and if I didn't want to, I was going to need help. "Have you ever..." The words died in my mouth as I looked from Carlisle, realizing he could never experience that desire, and then to Esme, who Carlisle had carefully trained and shielded from such temptations. I looked back at the keys.

They were shocked. I heard their thoughts. _I didn't hear anything in the news, so..._

_Oh no, he hasn't started again, has he?_

Carlisle refrained from saying this aloud, but we both knew I would hear it. This thought, which made sense, hurt me more than I had been prepared for. I winced, "No. I didn't kill anyone, and if I wanted to," I looked at Esme, "I wouldn't be here."

"Of course, Edward," which was the same as she was thinking. What followed was her own guilt at doubting me, which in turn made me feel bad for causing it. _Don__'__t __leave __us __again__._

_I've never heard of such a thing. Edward has remarkably good control. This must be a special situation. I wish I knew more about our nature.** "**_So you had never met this person before, or felt this strong a desire to... feed?"

"Never. This isn't normal hunger. Even when I was... feeding on humans... I didn't desire their blood as much as this. She's like a walking open wound, and she's innocent so... not my type." I swam in shame, and changed tunes again to incorporate the feeling.

Carlisle and Esme were looking at each other, unconcerned with my murderous nature. "She?" Oh gosh, I didn't expect this.

_Has __he __finally__...?_

_A __girl__... __is __he __attracted __to __her__?_

"Not her, her blood!" I snapped, standing up from the piano. They both stood, knowing that my comparatively good mood had been ruined. I earnestly started trying to tune out their thoughts, but it was very difficult as they were so close to me in so many ways.

"We just worry about you being alone so often." _My goodness, by his reaction he must feel something, _Esme thought.

I would have reacted, but Carlisle asked, "Can you tell me more about her, and your reaction to her?" Carlisle, always the scientist, was thinking this was the only way to truly help me and satisfy his curiosity at the same time.

I sighed heavily, scratched my head, and sat down on the piano bench. My fangs were still descended, and that wasn't about to go away, so I swallowed and tried to form sentences. "She's an intern, just out of high school. Yesterday was her first day. The AC was broken, she stepped in front of the fan, and I almost slaughtered the entire staff of the Daily Planet because of it."

_An __intern__? __How __old __is __she__?_ Why this mattered to Esme was beyond me.

_I __wonder __what __she __looks __like__, _thought Carlisle, and I felt a surge of rage at their reactions.

"Who cares what she looks like, I almost killed her!" I tried not to think about how some of my irritation was nervousness about anyone else sniffing around my prey. "If she has this effect on me, who knows how you'll react? You absolutely cannot meet her!"

_Edward__? __Jealous__? _Esme willed herself not to smile.

_Hmm__, __fascinating__. __Now__I __really __want __to __meet __her__. _I turned to Carlisle and almost snarled, "Well, you can't. My gosh, I came home for help, and all I get is you two giggling like you're in a schoolyard! I almost ruined _everything_ yesterday!"

"But you didn't, Edward," Esme put a hand on my shoulder, and it felt warm to me. Just more evidence that if I was ever going to find a mate, it would have to be one of my own kind. The thought was strangely disappointing. "Unfortunately, out of all of us, you have the best control, except Carlisle." She looked lovingly at her husband, and I felt uncomfortable.

"And we both know my control is unusual." _Edward__, __please __don__'__t __take __this __the __wrong __way__, _"I think maybe I should meet her. If she is as desirable as you say, she's a target for others, more so than the regular humans." I couldn't argue with Carlisle's logic, but I felt aggravated and protective. I suppose it could be characterized as jealousy, but it was more like a wild animal defending its meal.

I saw myself pouting as I said, "I know." I knew this was a possibility from the moment I realized I needed help. There were several problems however, "But how? How do we get you two close enough to each other to be of use? I was..." _insanely rude, murderous, cruel_, "She has no reason to trust me because of how I treated her."

_Like __an __open __wound__, __poor __dear__. _Esme, at least, understood why I acted that way. She had experienced and battled with the hunger. Carlisle had never let her give in, from what I understood, because they had an _understanding__. _Unlike me, Esme had never _wanted_ to kill a human being. God, I missed Alice. I appreciated and admired Carlisle, but the best he could offer was empathy, not sympathy.

"Good point," Carlisle said. As he brainstormed, the conversation seemed to continue while silence reigned. Esme was also thinking of ways to help. _As __a __doctor__..._ What was I supposed to do, hospitalize her? _I __could __visit __Edward __at __work__. _That would be awkward as it had never happened before. _He __could __invite __her __here __for __dinn__- __no __no__. _ That's _right__, _"no, no"! I snarled aloud at the thought. "That's why I didn't say it Edward! My apologies for thinking it."

"If I had a better sense of humor, I would laugh. _Dinner_." I sneered, but was temporarily distracted as my brain trying to imagine a dinner with Ms. Swan. There were candles, a white tablecloth, a little black dress, and no food. _Though I'm sure I could make use of the table..._

I jerked my body towards the piano and threw myself into Beethoven's Apassionata sonata. Running and music were my only escapes from my mind and the minds of others. If I wanted to continue to live my life, barely, I would have to control these desires roiling at the mere mention of the word _dinner__._

_Poor __thing__._ Esme again, _and __filled __with __so __much __beauty__. _She was enjoying my performance, and I saw myself through her eyes. I looked like Beethoven, deranged. I concentrated even harder on the piece.

_I__'__ve __never __seen __Edward __this __bad__. __Even __before__, __he __just__... __came __home__. __Stopped__. __There__'__s __more __than __just __the __hunger __bothering __him__, __surely__. _

_No Carlisle,_ I thought, _the hunger really is bad enough to do this to a person._

"Will she be at work on Saturday?" Esme asked.

"I don't know," I was finally calming down.

"Well, you don't need to do this tomorrow. You'll just have to start being a little nicer to her."

"Easier said than done."

Carlisle responded to the edge in my voice, "If that fails, you just need to get her address, and I can see her while she's sleeping." Truthfully, both these things were easy as pie for us. Why hadn't we thought of it before?

"_That_, is entirely doable." I finished the sonata, feeling better for having a plan. Ms. Swan just needed to remain safe until tomorrow night. The thought made me paranoid. _How __will __I __know __she__'__s __safe __until __I __see __her __tomorrow__?_ My fangs receded, and the venom stopped, my fear was so great. I realized I was going to have to go into work today and resolve this problem. It was after 6PM. The office was open, but Ms. Swan would not be there. I just needed to change my clothes.

I stood from the bench, "Excuse me, I just realized there are some things I need to do." Sometimes I really cursed my ability more than others, and this was one. I heard them think as they looked at each other, _Aww__, __he__'__s __worried __for __her__._

Damn straight. I had just _saved_ her from myself. Obviously her dying was not an acceptable outcome to this predicament. I replaced my camera and jacket by the door, a sure sign I was fixing to head out. Before I got even a step away from the receiving room, my phone beeped.

I considered ignoring it, which was very unusual for me, but I reached into the pocket and flicked it on.

It was a message from Alice again, but it made my stomach drop:

"Don't worry, she's with me. You go hunt."

_Argh, sisters!_

* * *

**A/N:** Haida Gwaii really is an island 750 miles north of Seattle off the coast of Canada. I wanted it to be the Arctic ocean, and penguins, but Google told me this was impossible given the time limit of 2 days and the geography. Assuming Edward made the trip in about 10 hours, his current top speed is around 75 mph.

All the info about puffins is researched and presumed true, whereas penguins do NOT live anywhere _near_ the north pole. That's okay! Penguins later!


	8. Bella: Female Face-off Part I

Thank you to those who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. Your encouragement is very helpful!

_**Rating**: (K) No Warnings._

_**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**Metropolis****City****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**June**** 21, 2012 6:00 ****AM**

**Ch****8****a****: ****Bella**

I slept a little better, but still jumped out of bed on Thursday morning, determined to fix the failures of my first day. Last night I had started a blog on tumblr, though it wasn't visible to the public yet.

As much as it irked me, Jacob was right. I had to conceal where I lived if I was going to be nosing around local crime. I pulled up several maps based on primary research, and started mapping out my canvassing area. I found the best way to trace neighborhood crime was to look on real estate websites. People often complained about neighborhoods and building complexes while warning off others from living there.

I broke it down into three target areas: the Acropolis, Maiden Gardens, and Paraíso Alta. I figured the weekend might be as good a time to start as ever, because I didn't want my first experience in the neighborhood to be after dark. Acropolis was within walking distance, so I planned to visit that building complex first on Saturday.

I had yet to find a mode of transportation other than walking that I could afford. I packed a lunch of a sandwich, and ate a bowl of cereal. Feeling modest, but independent and lucky, I put up my hair, managing not to look like I was caught in a wind tunnel, and wore my sandals. This was in the hopes that I wouldn't fall as much, despite the slight heel. Dress was pretty casual, but I still put on a pencil skirt and blouse. I didn't bother with makeup, as I would only make myself look like a poorly done color by number picture, and I drank a bit of tea, planning out my day.

I would report to Jessica, and if this coffee cart inclination continued, I would approach Edward for work. I'd have to gauge his mood, and not get too close to him.

I sipped my tea, looking out onto my balcony. My studio had a half wall separating the kitchen from the bedroom. The glass doors to the balcony let in sunlight that hit my bed, and there was a tiny cafe table set up near the door on the opposite side of the room where I ate. The bedroom side wall contained a wall of closets and shelving, and that was all I needed.

If Edward wouldn't give me work... I shook my head. There was no point worrying past that point. I wouldn't have too many choices if they both hated me, and I could spend my time researching for my crime blog.

I packed up my messenger bag, slipped on my sandals, and checked myself out in the mirror. Yesterday I had looked stiffly professional. I realized that the more relaxed look actually gave me a more professional demeanor. Now, I just had to hold onto my determination, and not get too flustered.

"Let's do this, Bella!" I pumped my fist and grabbed the handle to my door.

* * *

This morning I was not forced to have an awkward escort. I said good morning to Larry, did not run into Mike, and took the elevator with a group of adults who got off at various floors. By the time I reached the Daily Planet, I was alone.

The view once the elevators opened still took my breath away. There was the pale blue sky streaked with clouds, the Rockies in the distance, and before it were about a hundred passionate writers, furiously working in silhouette.

My chest contracted and expanded. As much as yesterday had shaken me, I still wanted, very badly, to work here. Unconsciously, I looked for something that I couldn't find, and as I continued I realized it was the copper hair and gorgeous eyes of the vengeful god, Edward Cullen. _He's probably in the bathroom, or not here yet._

This seemed unlikely; everyone was already here. Those who worked in news either started their days extremely early, finished extremely late, or both. The news from today would be in the paper tomorrow, so any head start was gold. As it had been explained in the orientation, however, there was a limit to how many hours I was allowed to work as an unpaid intern. Apparently I had to have lunch breaks, and normal work hours because I wasn't a salaried employee.

My heart thudded noisily in my ears. I wished I could be one of the people who made their life their work, like those I was currently admiring. I spotted Jessica, looking flawlessly put together, her hair in managed curls, her power suit matching, her makeup just on the side of noticeably pretty. I heard Jacob's warning ring in my head and scoffed at it. With people like Jessica near me, there was no way I was turning heads, much to my satisfaction.

I smiled and waved at Jessica awkwardly. I still felt like a child around all of these pros; it was only my second day. On my way over to her desk, I inspected Edward's, not a pen or paper out of place, just as I had left it.

I greeted Jessica, but once the niceties were finished, my first question was, "Is Mr. Cullen here today?"

She laughed derisively, at him, I thought. "No, he isn't here today, nothing to fear. That jerk gets away with all kinds of crap. He called out for a special assignment yesterday, not knowing when he'll be back." She plopped down, crossed her legs, and examined me, "Would you like some coffee?" I was shocked to hear this, and was afraid if I responded "yes" she would say something like "me too." Truth was, I didn't want coffee, but I was curious to see if she was offering.

I hedged, "I like mine light and sweet."

She stared at me blankly before saying, "What?"

_Ah, not offering then._ I stammered to cover myself, "Oh, I thought you asked me how I like my coffee. I had tea this morning, so I'm fine."

"Hmph," she sniffed, as if not needing coffee was a flaw, "that's too bad. I like mine black with two sugars."

"That's admirable. Too bitter for me, though." We faced off. After about ten seconds, I decided she was calling my bluff. I sighed inwardly, "Would you like some?" I asked politely. This was lose lose, she either thought I was slow now, or that I was entitled. Damn.

"Yes, please, Bella. That would be lovely." Her voice wasn't overly sweet, so I couldn't tell if she was sincere in her thanks. Maybe she was just tired.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" I hoped furtively that she understood I meant "in journalism." I wasn't trying for a career as a barista.

Her demeanor became excited and business like, "Actually, yes! There was a drug bust last night on Midland Avenue, and the police will be releasing info tomorrow. We have to gear up for the Friday news dump, and have all the preliminary research done. We need to go through recent police reports and other articles to figure out which ring it could have been, and have a background for each of the possibilities ready to run. I'm dressed like this because I'll be at court around noon. Little Nicki's trial is ending, and if he cut a deal with the Feds, we could get insight on the bust." I saw the circles hidden under the makeup now. This was big for her, she'd been following leads on drug rings for a while, and who knew how much sleep she got last night with the bust going on. Maybe she was at the police station.

I imagined myself in her shoes and felt a healthy dose of fear, and a current of excitement. "How can I help?" My voice trembled with both emotions.

"Well, get that coffee girl, for starters! Then, depending on how long the drafts take us, I'll either leave you here to continue the work and edit it when I get back, or take you to the courthouse as a scribe. Sound good?"

She was smiling, her eyes shone with excitement, and I saw the frigidity to her beauty melt away. She was actually more interesting when genuinely interested.

"I'll be right back!" I felt much better now that I was an integral part of her work. I even got myself a coffee cup with lemon and hot water to be sociable.

* * *

The day passed quickly. I did not get to go to the courthouse after all because, as Jessica put it, "There's only one sure deadline a journalist has to meet, and everything else is just piss in the wind." I wasn't exactly sure what she meant, but in any case, I stayed behind continuing research.

Jess had screeched in horror at my outdated phone, and said she was going to "blow it up" with texts. Again, not sure what that meant, but she texted me with updates every 5-90 seconds. My bill this month was going to be astronomical. I needed a texting plan, pronto.

_Ugh, more bills._ At least Jake could give me a ride to the cell phone store tomorrow.

I flew through the overview of Midland Avenue's drug history. I'd done this research last night while looking at Paraíso Alta. Of course the intersection of the avenue and the neighborhood gave me a bias towards the drug cartels in Paraíso, so I tried extra hard to be neutral about the many problems of the avenue. It was an avenue that had cut through a poor part of the city in the late fifties. Thruways and highways were being constructed everywhere, especially on the west coast, where cities tended to take up more space than the east. The fact that I didn't need a car to shop for groceries was a relatively recent convenience of urban development.

The Midland Avenue thruway had been purposefully constructed to "bring order to the chaos" of the poor hispanic communities in Metropolis. Public property like parks and schools were bought and demolished, leaving the families who had refused to sell to the city without any surrounding resources-food, parking lots, schools, playgrounds, or other recreational activities. That was only be beginning of Paraíso's suffering. Paraíso Alta was on the north side of the thruway, and Paraiso Bajo was on the south side, closer to the city center. Aggressive gentrification and blatant institutional racism turned Paraíso Bajo into Elysium Fields, even though there were no fields. Separating the wealthy from the poor geologically also changed the school districts, and the tax income for the two areas became completely different. The children of Paraíso were locked into inferior schooling, less job opportunities, and the gangs and drug problems that creeped in more steadily on the poor and helpless. This only made the area worse. Those who could afford to move anywhere else, did. Only those in poverty, or those involved in illegal and profitable activities stayed. After all, they had wealthy clients for their drugs living only a few minutes away. Thus, Paraíso became one of the drug, gang, and crime centers of Metropolis.

I breathed a frustrated sigh. _This_ was the sort of thing I was hoping to get a chance to report on, but I was starting to see that the importance of a piece for social welfare, and the amount of honest hard work that went into it, were only a small portion of whether a piece got published or not.

Of course most journalists start out as idealists, wanting to create changes. Even the Daily Planet took daily and monthly losses in profits because of their International section, but they kept it running because it was important to the country, the city, and the world. This was the reason for full paged ads, and fashion magazines, and fundraising galas.

I researched each area as meticulously as I had Paraíso, because they all had an equal shot of being our target area. Jessica started texting me frantically at 4:30 with instructions on where to zero in, and we narrowed it down to three areas. It was almost 5:30 when I had assembled them all in order of priority on Jessica's desk. She was on her way back, but legally, I had to clock out. I promised to pick up her dinner before I left, since she might be here all night, but I was going to see if I could clock out, and come back in to help her.

I gathered my things and paused briefly to look at the Cullen desk. It was too empty and still, and I was surprised I had hardly thought of Mr. Cullen at all today, I had been so busy. I felt a paradox of excitement and disappointment at the prospect of a productive, Cullen-free life. After all, if he hated me so much he didn't come to work...

_Whoa, whoa, Bella. Since when are you the center of that god's universe? Maybe he was upset about... anything not you._ I laughed at my conceit. _He'll be back, and you have better things to do! Get going!_

I clocked out with my ID card and took the stairs. The elevators stopped at almost every floor at this time of day, and I wondered if I could be faster. It certainly felt that way when crammed in there with Mike. I saw him waiting at the elecator bank. He was also getting dinner, I supposed, so I wanted to avoid that disaster no matter what. Besides, I needed to get into better shape. I couldn't be the same sedentary student I had been, and going downstairs seemed like the easiest of all possible options.

About twenty flights later I heartily regretted this decision.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter was especially long, so I cut it into two. Next chapter, we finally meet Alice!

I am veeery curious- **what age range are my readers?** (now that I have them) I partially wrote this fic to fill a need to have an urban tale of a college-age Bella, as there seemed to be a dirth of such stories.


	9. Bella: Female Face-off Part II

_Thank you for reading; feedback is appreciated!_

_**Rating**: (K+) This chapter has lies, deceit, and sarcasm!_

_**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of the irrespective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_~MaraJadeblu_

**Metropolis ****City****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**June**** 21, 2012 5:45 ****PM**

About twenty flights later I heartily regretted this decision...

**Metropolis ****City****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**Same ****day****, ****minutes ****later****...**

**Ch**** 8****b****: ****Bella**

Ten flights after that, I decided to disembark and take the elevator the rest of the way. It was only about sixty more, after all.

The bell rang, and there was barely any room for me, but I was slight, and I was able to squeeze into the second elevator that stopped, right into Mike's awaiting body sweat.

"Bella!" He said happily, "What are you doing at Ice Barge Insurance?"

_I run ice barges, didn't I tell you? Why are Jake's words in my brain?_ Or was I becoming snarkier? "I thought the stairs would be easier and faster, but that was a big 'no.'"

He laughed at me good naturedly. I blushed accordingly, because I really had been stupid, and weak. "Yea, we all do that at some point because this elevator system sucks. But the Planet is on the 98th floor, so it really isn't worth it unless you're training. Even then, most of us just go to the gym!"

"Yea," I laughed weakly.

"Are you getting dinner?" His sudden switch and the gleam in his eyes sent me a warning, but I didn't have a backup plan.

"Yea, but I'm meeting a friend..." _Please take the hint._

"Where are you meeting? I'll walk with you!" The elevator dinged, and I had to do some quick thinking.

"Shake shack," the line was always too long, and I could beg off, probably.

"Great, I'll keep you company until your friend arrives; the lines there are wicked boring." Argh!

"Okay, but it's okay if you have to get back to work..." We were exiting the building now, and I was looking around for a way out. I wasn't going to go on an impromptu date with Mike in order to stay and help Jessica, and now I couldn't ask him if I could even get back in the building because I told him I was meeting a friend!

"Nah, Fridays and Saturdays are going to be crazy for us, so I'll make the best of this time. You are coming Saturday, right?" We waited at the light, and he seemed extraordinarily concerned.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mike."

He ran fingers through his thin short hair. "Oh, yeah! Well, everyone works on Saturdays, obviously, because the Sunday paper is a big thing. Then we all go out to the bar down the street usually, but whenever we get a new batch of interns, we throw a welcome party that night in the office.

"You'll want to be there, even Ol' Perry comes out for a drink and some hot dogs."

I both did and did not want to go. I would only go for the connections, and Mike seemed to imply that this would be an important opportunity to make myself known. I couldn't continue to be antisocial if I wanted to get hired with the best. The competition was just too fierce nowadays to hide behind being socially awkward. On the other hand, I really, really, really didn't want to go. I hate parties, I don't drink, and the most appetizing thing Mike mentioned about the whole ordeal was the prospect of free food. How the mighty have fallen... or, well, how the lucky hermits have fallen for the sake of food? _Nevermind_.

Mike was watching me intently, "Don't worry, Edward never comes." I blinked at him, shocked. Did he think I was worried about that? Had news of our disastrous first encounter already become common gossip?

More importantly, why did the assurance that Edward wouldn't be there make my stomach clench in disappointment, when it should have been a relief? Yes, he was beautiful, but distant and rather hostile. Was I worried that not coming would put me in a category with him? Did I want to be in a category with him?

I tried not to let my disappointment and confusion show on my face. We were right outside of Shake Shack, and I was out of excuses.

"BELLA!" A girl, shorter than me, and more petite than me, with a scarf around her hair and huge maroon sunglasses launched herself at me in a flying hug. She smelled like dried flowers and wind. Her skin felt cool despite the heat, and for some crazy reason, her launching herself at me didn't put me on guard. It made me think,_ Do I know you?_

"Bella! It's me! Alice!" She pulled off her sunglasses to reveal beautiful azure eyes like a storm. They reminded me of Edward's. Her bangs poked out of her scarf, and I wondered how she could tolerate covering her head in this heat.

"Your friend?" Mike asked, as stunned as me, but thankfully distracted.

"Uh... yea." I looked at Alice, "Right?"

She held out one small porcelain hand for Mike to shake. He towered over us both. I could see that he was instantly smitten with her. She saved me from awkward introductions by launching into an overwhelming monologue, "Yup! I'm Alice, nice to meet you." She shook his hand firmly twice, and let go, "I'm a fashion designer, and Bella is one of my models." _WHAT?! Is she NUTS?_ "We've been corresponding online, and now that she lives in the city, we've decided to start working together. Isn't that great? So, it was great meeting you, but we have an absolute ton to do, if you'll excuse us, we really _must_ be going, right Bella, dear?"

Thank goodness I only needed one word responses. Model? Me? _Model? ME?_ How is this even remotely believable? Who the heck is this girl? She was grabbing my hand with her cool perfect one gently, but with strength. I was locked in her grasp. She was kidnapping me. "Uh... yea! Right." Why wasn't I resisting?!

"Wait!" Mike grabbed both my shoulders and looked desperate, "You've got to come on Saturday, and for Heaven sakes, and all that is good in this world, please, _please_, bring your friend!" He stopped hunching and let go, "It will be good for business," he said with a wink.

_Daddy, help, I'm in crazy people land, and I want to get off now._

"Gotta go!" Alice tossed over her shoulder. She pulled me and ran to the end of the block and around the corner, then stopped smoothly. I bumped into her, unable to slow my pace. "Whew!" she said, not having broken a single sweat in the heat. I was sure I was a mess.

"Do I know you?" First things first. _Daddy's not here, Bella. Big girl panties._

"You will!" She put her sunglasses back on and adjusted her scarf. It was white with pink flowers, and it matcher her maroon tee and khaki short shorts. She wore boots on her feet, but altogether, her outfit looked... super cool. She really could be a designer.

"Should I know you- what?" I was still confused, and it wasn't getting better.

"Don't worry, Bella. You and I are going to be best friends, and I can't wait! That's why I came all the way back from Illinois when my brother met you- oops! TMI." She put her finger against her lips, but I had a feeling she had said exactly what she meant to.

"Who's your brother?"

"Ah," She smiled and began walking. I caught up and kept pace, "Good investigator instincts. Go for the most important question first, or maybe it's fate. Nope! I can't tell you that! I'll be in big trouble, and I won't get a birthday present."

I was totally caught in her pace. I stopped questioning the craziness, and started decoding the method to the madness. "You talk about the future with such confidence. So we don't know each other?"

She stopped and I saw her eyes through the side of her glasses for a second, "We are starting to now, right? We can't talk about that yet, either."

"What can we talk about?" I asked with a mix of curiosity and frustration.

"Another good one! Hmm, that's hard. I know!" She started walking again, "Let's get you ready for that party!"

"What pa- wait, I'm going?" _Shouldn't I know that? Why am _I_ asking _her_?_

"Yup! It's very important that you go."

"Why?"

"That... I can't tell you."

"TMI again?"

"Actually, because I don't know. Where's your apartment?"

"It's this way," we turned. "So you do know the other stuff?" She looked like she was about to play ignorant, so I got specific. "Like, you know we'll be friends, and you won't get a birthday present from your brother, and stuff like that?"

"Hmm." She was silent for a moment as we walked, then said, "Do we need to go shopping first Bella? What do you have in your closet?" As soon as I thought about it, she said, "Oh no! I'm going to be horribly disappointed! You don't even have a hair dryer or a curling iron? What savagery! Can we _please_ go shopping, _please, pretty please?_" She was clinging to me and playfully begging.

I considered saying no, but then, I really could use a hair dryer. "Do you know a good place for that stuff?" I hated shopping, except for food.

"Do I?!" She seemed very excited, then disappointed, then excited, then disappointed. "Agh! Bella, I'm going to buy it all anyway, why can't we just go somewhere decent!" She was angry at me, but I hadn't said anything.

I stared at her, "I'm guessing, you're thinking of places that are too expensive?"

She pouted, and then livened up, "Perfect! We'll go to Ricky's! You can handle Ricky's!"

"O...kay..." Wait a second, "And I'm not expecting you to buy me anything!"

"I know!" She slipped her sunglasses down and looked up at me, lightly grabbing my chin, "That's why everyone likes you so much, innocent Bella!"

I was so baffled, I didn't even know what to say to this ridiculousness. The utter weirdness of this encounter sent me flying back to my original purpose, that I had forgotten entirely about! "Oh no! I was supposed to order food for my boss, and I forgot! Now she's going to be hungry and blame me! This is not good!"

"Oh!" Alice's glasses slipped off and she pocketed them. "You're right, actually. Better get on that, let's Seamless it!"

What? Was she confusing clothes and food now?

"No, silly, it's an app." She pulled out her phone and pulled up Shake Shack on her Seamless app. "She wanted a burger, right?"

"With onions and mustard, and a large sweet tea." I watched Alice move with blurring speed, ordering the food within seconds.

"It will be delivered..." she looked up, "about five minutes after she gets there. You should text her."

I was starting to understand something about how Alice... worked. She couldn't seem to help what she was, or how she acted. Maybe she was on the autism scale somewhere. Brilliant, and a little loony? In any case, I totally believed her estimation, and took out my phone to text Jess.

"Oh! And I," she pulled up her texting app, "should text my brother, before he gets a conniption!"

She texted like lightning, and I found myself again wondering about her brother. What did he have to do with me? I did the math and retraced all the people I'd met in the past three days. No one at the airport, or on the plane. Jake didn't have a sister, and I hadn't seen anyone else in Forks yet. Besides, she said, "met," so I didn't know them before. They _had_ to be from the Daily Planet. I ran through a list of guys. Obviously it wasn't Mike, though it could be Eric or... or... Edward?

I stopped walking. Why did I feel that I was right so strongly? Because their eyes had an otherworldly similarity? Because one reacted as if he instantly despised me, and the other seemed to already adore me? Because they were both flawlessly beautiful?

"Wait, that doesn't make sense," I said quietly.

"What doesn't?" Alice was finally serious.

"Why would Edward care anything about what you tell me? He hates me." I was that confident in my guess, and Alice paused long enough that I knew I was right.

Yet, technically, she stuck to whatever rules she had imposed on herself, "Who are you talking about?"

"Your brother, Edward Cullen." I was positive now.

"What makes you think that's my brother?" She wasn't denying it.

"You were dropping hints."

"I never said he was my brother."

"That's true."

She smiled, "Okay then! Let's go shopping!"

_Heaven help me._


	10. Edward: The First Crush

_A belated and great big thank you to my return readers Radar1999 and Sweetie7Smiled for the encouragement! I'm re-new to this, so I need to get better at replying to my readers!_

_This chapter was difficult for me because I had a crisis about it being boring. I do think I could use a beta, and someone to help me cut unimportant scenes out so I'm not just rambling, or listening to the keys click._

_**Rating**: (T) This chapter has some sexual situations and mild cursing._

_**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**Outside ****of ****Forks****, ****Washington****, ****USA**

**June**** 21, 2012 6:00****PM**

**Ch**** 9****a****: ****Edward**

Within the millisecond of my eyes reading her text, my hand was on the doorknob, and I was about to rip it from it's hinges in my haste. Carlisle's hand folded over mine, "What happened?" He was concerned by my anger, but I couldn't release it.

"Alice is with Bella!" I said through gritted teeth.

I heard the instinctual reaction of their thoughts,_ So?_

"Why are you angry?" Esme asked, He doesn't understand, she thought.

"She'll give us away!" This wasn't exactly it, but I didn't want Bella finding out anything about me from her.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen," Carlisle said.

"When was the last time you hunted, darling? Your eyes are completely black."

I blinked. I had been so preoccupied with thoughts of Be-Ms. Swan, that I hadn't stopped in Canada to hunt. Of course I needed to feed well before seeing her again! What was I thinking? She was safer with Alice than with me, as Alice would only see her if she knew it was safe. She had probably fed beforehand as well, whereas I had almost run off to see her while starving.

Thinking of Ms. Swan made me hungry, and I had been doing that a lot. Even now my fangs had redescended, and the venom felt like it was corroding my mouth and stomach, consuming my every thought with hunger.

"Of course, you're right." I said to them both, dropping my hand. "I'm going to get ready for work, and spend the night feeding so tomorrow will be easier."

"There's a good lad," said Carlisle, some of his British heritage coming out with his relief.

* * *

A full night of successful hunting had never been so dissatisfying before. Mountain lion was my favorite, and I had found a male, but one thought of Ms. Swan's feathery locks blowing over her shoulder and I was hungry again.

The amount of blood I consumed became uncomfortable towards morning, and I hoped that too, would be a deterrent.

"Heading to work, will keep you updated and send the address" I wrote. I had a lot of catching up to do, so showing up to work at 4:00AM was no problem for me. I was never in danger of missing a deadline because I didn't need to sleep, and when necessary, I could write three times as fast as the fastest of our typists. (That was the max speed at which the keyboard could pick up my typing.)

I couldn't run into the city, and on the off chance that Ms. Swan ended up accompanying me to see Carlisle, I stopped at the house for my car.

Driving fast was almost as fun as running fast. I had wanted an M3, but at Carlisle's insistence, I upgraded to something a little less noticeable for a lowly journalist to own. I took my silver Volvo in towards the city, and sat in traffic far longer than I had intended. Luckily, I used the extra brainspace to mentally compose my article. All I had to do at work was type it up. I glared at the dashboard- I should be there by 6:00AM.

I saw the welcoming view of the north from the Daily Planet, and I had missed it despite being in fantastic forests and frozen horizons. I didn't expect Ms. Swan to be in this early, and she was not.

This gave me time to acclimate to the others around me. I was so full that they were barely appetizing, but I might test my resolve by sniffing around Jessica's desk to see if Ms. Swan's scent was there.

Curiously, someone had moved something on my desk. I was prepared with all manner of excuses about the dent, but there was a copy draft over the spot so no one could see it.

I brought the paper closer to my face to see who had noticed.

It was _her_. Very faint, but her. She had placed it on my desk to cover the spot after I had been so rude to her. I felt the uncomfortable weight of the blood in me lessen. The trace of her was stirring my hunger already. To distract myself, I sat down to write my article.

Every time the elevator dinged, I glanced up to see if she had arrived. When she did, I would have to take a deep breath and hold it until I was away from her. I had to hope I wouldn't need to talk much around her. This plan was seeming shakier and shakier.

The ACs were functioning again, which was one blessing. Everyone was in a good mood, looking forward to the party tomorrow, and I was feeling pleasantly distracted by work and others' thoughts.

Ding. It was _her_. I felt the electricity of her arrival before I smelled her or saw her. The elevator doors opened, and I immediately looked up.

I believe the man blocking her view of my intense gaze allowed her to step out of the elevator a pace, but as soon as her eyes swept the room and met mine, she froze. I instinctually reached out for her thoughts, but felt _nothing_.

_How frustrating!_

_Was she scared of me? Why did she move the paper? Had she forgiven me? Would she talk to me? What was she thinking as she so obviously stared into my eyes?_

I was staring back, and time had slowed again. Today she was wearing a sky blue sleeveless cotton top and fitted light wool grey herringbone pants, complete with creases. _Thanks, Alice..._

Also, today (my heart skipped in... fear?) she wore some very light makeup. Most noticeably, she was wearing lip gloss that made her lips look plump and _even more delicious_. I instantly wanted to taste them, and the thought made me burn for her. Full? I hardly felt like I had hunted. I didn't know she was going to show up looking like thanksgiving dinner!

We still stared. This was all peripheral for me, but for the most part I concentrated on her innocent eyes. They calmed me. Her pupils were slowly dilating, and I watched the shift in colors and muscles so singularly that I felt peaceful.

My mouth watered despite this, but I tried to ignore it. Bella didn't help when blood began pooling in those young fresh cheeks, making her face even more becoming than it had been. My god, _I had to have her._

_Have_ her? What was I thinking? How? I couldn't possibly let myself hurt her, though the thought of it... the thought of being pressed up against her with my face buried in her neck, made me ache with hunger.

I continued staring shamelessly, even after Ms. Swan broke our stare to adjust her clothing. _Oh, to know what you're thinking._ The curiosity alone made me burn for her. She was obviously embarrassed, and was appearing self conscious about her looks. Her arms were covered in goosebumps, and she was flustered until she started to head over to the coffee table.

I watched her from the back, appreciating her from afar because I knew when she got closer this was going to get infinitely harder. As she moved away to the table I took a large breath. I would go to the bathroom when I needed another one.

My entire body tingled and burned at the recognition that her molecules had joined the others floating around the room. I watched her move and noticed little things... Her hair had been styled. It was the same cherry mahogany combination, with slight curls peppered throughout the tips. _Alice_.

I swallowed the pooling venom, she was wearing a white bra, slightly visible under the cotton, and black polkadot panties.

I finally looked down in shame. What was I _doing_? _Since when do I use my powers to become a peeping tom?! Usually this stuff is repugnant to me and I have to try to avoid it, but much to my shame, I find it difficult not to continue. Disgusting._

Even with my face down, images of her filtered in through the brains of others, and I discovered just how effectively I could invade her privacy without even looking at her. I was disgusted with myself, but also... helplessly excited. For the first time having nothing to do with my hunger, I was aroused at the thought of another. My physicality expressed this feeling, and I realized this might be an obstacle to going to the bathroom for air.

I was blushing furiously, my ears were rushing with blood, and I had no idea what I looked like because I had never been this embarrassed before. I knew from men's thoughts that this was a human reaction that was quite common, and usually their strategy was to think about something else. Something not sexy. Something distracting.

I looked around my desk. I was constantly in a state seeking distraction because of my nature. I thought of what a human might do. He might look at pictures from the morgue! I only hoped that wouldn't ignite my hunger. Sure, the bodies were exsanguinated, but that would only be helpful as long as I didn't imagine the process of exsanguination.

The process... of draining blood... from Ms. Swan's white, fragile neck, while she writhed in pleasure and pain...

_Someone is approaching my desk._

My eyes shot up. How did I not hear this person's approach? Of course,_ dear gods of cruel irony_, it was Ms. Swan.

_Don't look at her throat, or her breasts._

This frantic thought might have resulted in her registering the panic in my eyes. I was definitely concentrating hard on not her breasts.

_Also, don't breathe!_

I must have looked even more strained at that thought. Maybe she would think I was constipated. In a way, I supposed I was.

She was still faintly blushing, and looked hesitant about being here. _Well she should, you monster._ "Um, Mr. Cullen," her voice was beautiful music. Her eyes were fragrant honeyed flowers, set in her blushing face, swollen lip, and framed by her pine-scented hair. "Would you like me to get you some coffee?"

Her lips formed the words with such enticing-what? _Coffee_?

"That isn't your job," I said more harshly than I meant.

She looked surprised, "I know, but I was going to get some for Jess- Ms. Stanley anyway, so I thought I'd ask." She smiled faintly while looking down, which gave me the impression that I intimidated her, but she was not upset with me about our first encounter.

I felt annoyed. _She should be upset with me; I treated her terribly!_ And she was not some sort of stewardess, to be handing out coffee instead of learning about journalism. "I don't drink coffee, thanks." I was trying to use as little air as possible. Her proximity was like the sun. I felt her blasting her presence at me, burning me with her warmth and her unsmelt aroma. I didn't want her to leave, even though I knew I should. "What work have you been doing while I was gone?"

_And, why did you cover up the dent in my desk?_ This seemed less and less important as her proximity gave me a heady disregard for everything except maybe how much air I had left.

She brightened, and I felt that the added intensity was both pleasant and unnecessary. "Yesterday I did research for J- Ms. Stanley about the big drug bust Wednesday night. She used it when the information was released to give background to the article. Altered, of course. I couldn't be there for the actual writing because I had to clock out." She was disappointed by that last, despite her pride in her involvement. "I did get to meet your sister, though!"

Floored. I was floored. I even stared at her open mouthed, and shut it just before I started drooling accidentally. Alice had of course sent me a text at the end of her playdate assuring me I had nothing to worry about, and she hadn't given away anything about me to Ms. Swan, including our sibling relationship. I trusted Alice implicitly, which meant that Ms. Swan had figured it out for herself. _Recover already!_

Though for me I had been gape-mouthed for a while, to a human it was only a split second. I smiled. "Yes. She mentioned." There. Appropriately vague, with minimal air use.

She pouted, presumably because I didn't elaborate. A small v appeared in between her eyebrows when she puckered them in thought. I was fascinated by it. "I've never met her before, but somehow she knew me. It was strange."

_Fishing for information, are we?_ At least I didn't have to look away from that tantalizing spot on her forehead. "Alice has a way about her. She's always looking for new dolls for her clothes." _Almost out of air._

Ms. Swan looked offended, and then blushed, and then struggled to say, "I'm _no_ model."

_Agh_! Of all the things she could have said, she chose to display vulnerability, insecurity, and to underestimate herself in so many ways. I wanted to tell her how beautiful she was. Inappropriately, I wanted to tell her how attractive she was, and how she had no idea the effect she had on men- _and god, I sound like Mike._ There was enough air left for a sentence or two, but not enough for what I wanted to say.

Basically, I wanted desperately to flirt with her, but all I could manage was an, "Excuse me." And I rushed to the bathroom, feeling like a louse.

It was the first time I'd gone to the bathroom at the Daily Planet for anything other than show. Because I rarely ate food, my digestive system didn't need to excrete. Blood was absorbed fully and directly into my body, and worked much better as a form of sustenance.

My ears were pink. I looked a little rosy as well, but not noticeably to the human eye. My goodness, Ms. Swan made me blush! Sure, if I hadn't been gorged on blood, it wouldn't be possible, but still! Me! Blushing!

I splashed my face with water and breathed heavily, trying to clear any vestiges of her scent from screwing with my brain. _Think. Clearly. Cullen._

I tried to remember back to when I first saw her, before I smelled her, and had told myself she was almost plain. _Almost plain!_ I couldn't hold on to the image. Other encounters, her first walk towards me, the shift of her hips, her scared eyes, her hurt eyes, her embarrassment today flooded past that first one and made her hopelessly adorable to me. Clearly, _clearly_, as I looked down at my slightly tented pants, I was finally experiencing sexual attraction. And gauging my reaction by the many minds I'd read, I had what humans would call "a crush."

I was so many emotions; I thought I might explode, or melt, or start screaming wildly. I was terrified and giddy. I replayed the encounter over and over again, trying to catch clues about whether she suspected my attraction, and what her feelings might be.

I had heard this mental behavior before... in thirteen-year-old girls. _Ugh_.

* * *

**A/N:** Poor Edward! Ah, sexual awakening!

It always bothered me a little when people point out that Edward is "so much older" than Bella that their relationship is inappropriate. Well, if Edward was frozen from the moment he was turned, he's really only 17, and this Edward has had delayed growth since puberty- so welcome to Pubescent-ward.


	11. Edward: The Second Crush

_Okay! Crisis over! I'm sorry for not updating last weekend, but I did spend the weekend planning out the remainder of the story(ies), and now I feel more confident! I'll try to post two chapters this weekend to make it up to you!_

_Thank you also to the anonymous reader, who had some concerns about love triangles. I'm loathe to give anything away, but don't worry! That kind of behavior shall not be had from Ms. Swan. We are on the same page about that!_

_**Rating**: (T) This chapter has some sexual situations and mild cursing._

_**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**The Daily Planet Newsroom, Metropolis, Washington, USA**

**June 22, 2012 11:00AM**

Ch 9b: Edward

Yet, as I replayed the conversation, I realized I had once again been rude to her, and had finally turned her off from kindness towards me for good. She would have to take my flight to the bathroom as confirmation that I thought she was not modeling material. I gave her no friendliness, no reason at all to trust me, or ride in my volvo, or even talk to me.

Then again, she was my intern. I had to go out there and man up. Surely there was some way to apologize for my behavior. The most obvious excuse was usually the most easily believed. I had an upset stomach. This would clearly be enough to excuse my behavior.

I listened to the thoughts outside. Mike really liked Bella's hair today, and the way her pants made her butt look. _Grr_. Eric also noticed her looking a little different, and Jessica had noted my reaction to the girl with pleasure.

Jessica was mind-babbling, _At least he isn't inclined to be nice to her. _

Inclined? I had a wild desire to inundate her with flowers. Yet, I still managed to act like a jerk.

_I like the way she makes my coffee, and at this rate, I won't have to do research at all until July 6th! Interns are the best! Oh, sweetie, why did you have to get all done up for work on the day Cullen returns? And I thought we could be friends._ Her jealousy concentrated on Ms. Swan, who was reading the article in the paper avidly. I noticed how cute Ms. Swan's concentrated face was, even though Jessica was thinking, _Next I think I'll have you start getting my lunch, but this girl needs a little sugar before her medicine._

"Thanks for your help, Bella. Your research gave me more time to polish the article before printing." _Should I have a bagel? Too many carbs..._

"No problem! I'm so excited to see just a few of my words in print! What was your first time?"

_Getting a little ahead of ourselves, are we?_ "It doesn't really count until your name comes after the title, sweetie."

Jessica feigned nonchalance, but I saw the look of hurt pass over Ms. Swan's face, and my feet started moving back into the room before I fully formed a plan. I did manage to take another large breath.

I approached the desk at speed, trying to get there before Jessica ordered a salmon salad and I got violent. "Good day, ladies." _And Jessica._ "Ms. Swan," I looked into her baffled face, and she struggled to stand quickly. She was tall and could have been a model, but built for clumsiness. All of her grace was unintentional. What was Alice doing with her, and why? "I just wanted to apologize for our terrible introduction. I've not been feeling well these past couple of days, and I'll be in and out quite a bit, I'm afraid. Please forgive my rudeness."

Ms. Swan opened and closed her mouth a few times, shocked, before saying. "Yes, your eyes are much clearer than a couple of days ago. I hope you're feeling better."

_Will this girl never stop shocking me?_ She noticed my eyes? "I'll have some work for you in a bit, so please don't go anywhere, okay?" I smiled, out of air, and hoped that my smile would affect her the way it did many women- by leaving them speechless. It clearly worked on Jessica, who couldn't process my change of mood. _Damn, no lunch service then_, she thought.

Ms. Swan nodded, and sank down into her chair, looking confused. I went back to my desk to see if I could breathe and cook something up for Ms. Swan to work on. I listened hard in their direction, with no success. Ms. Swan was closed to me, but her heart was beating rapidly. I wondered if I had that effect on her, like I had with many other women. Not knowing kept me from feeling turned on by the idea. The mystery made me want it more.

I sat, printed my article, and took a slow, precautionary whiff from my desk.

The pain-the ecstasy- almost made me gasp. The burning that hit me set my entire body on fire. I clenched my hands on the edge of the desk, and caused two more dents where my thumbs were. The last of last night's meal was absorbed, and I could no longer feel the weight of the liquid, only the fire of the hunger. Breathing was a mistake.

I took another trip to the bathroom. This time, I was awash in despair. _Damn my life, I can't have a_ crush! _I am a death sentence to her, a spectre of danger. Every time I put myself near her, I'm putting her in danger._

It was very simple. She was innocent, and I was a murderer. If I did like her, or care about her well-being at all, I would stay away from her. I needed to find some other way besides befriending her to get her address. I could beg off with some excuse about my stomach. _Not that far from the truth._

Mike was sidling up to her, asking her about tomorrow as I came out of the bathroom. "So, are you going to bring your friend tomorrow?" _What friend?_

Bella smiled, and I felt angry at Mike. Ah! This was jealousy! "I don't think so, Mike. She said she was heading out of town." _Wait a second... was Mike hitting on my sister?_

I looked into his thoughts, and yes, he registered disappointment... imagining... I clenched my fist very hard and stopped walking. Perhaps I would have to run to the bathroom again to keep from murdering Mike. He was imagining how my _sister_ would be in bed. His dreams crushed, he refocused his efforts on Bella.

_I wonder if she's a virgin, she looks like a virgin._ I felt nauseated with fury at Mike's thoughts. The tangent my brain took, wondering if she was indeed a virgin, like me, was also_ not helping._

"That's a real shame," he said aloud, "but you _are_ coming, right?" _You'd be a fool not to, free liquor, networking galore. You'd be shooting your career in the foot not to, unless you were Edward-freakin'-Cullen._

Bella bit her lip, which made me gasp as my abdomen clenched in a rush of pleasure. I saw now why her lip was sometimes swollen. I was stuck between hoping she would turn down Mike's offer, and hoping she would come so I could see her again. Man, that was such a horrible idea. _I should get away from her._

"I'm not sure it's a good idea. I'm underage, and my dad is a cop, and I'm not a great socializer..." Again, I was caught between relief at her practicality, and disappointment in her absence. Not that I ever went to these events, but I would, if she were going.

Mike began a familiar, and possibly unconscious manipulation of her. "Bella, that's not good! You have to get better at socializing," he whispered, "if you want a job offer." Mike, as a former intern hire, knew what he was talking about. "I'm not saying you should break the law- don't drink, if you don't want to, but you should definitely go. Angela, Jessica, and Eric will all be there to look after you. We all want you hired!" _Except maybe Jess, but who's counting- the jealous bitch._

Bella smiled shyly and my heart thumped. I heard Mike's as well, and suspected he might be capable of developing feelings for her. "You're right. I really should make myself go. Thanks, Mike."

_I_ wanted to bolster her career and her confidence. I wanted her to be thanking _me_. I was going to kill Michael Newton... no, I wasn't. I took a deep breath, barely filled with Isabella at all, and appreciated the burn. I wanted to stay away from her, but I was starting to see that I wouldn't have the willpower to leave her to these wolves.

I walked over to Mrs. Cope's desk, and laid on some charm. If I was going to be civil to Ms. Swan, I should start practicing now. "Good morning, Ms. Cope."

"Good Morning Edward." _Sigh. I missed the sight of you, you hot little thing._

_O... K._ I was used to this. "I was wondering if I could have Ms. Swan's file- I need to mail an invitation to an event for to her."

"I'll do it for you, dear."

_Damn_. "Sure, I'll see if I can find the information, and I'll email it to you."

"No problem," _In person is always better, dear. I don't do these things for everyone. Well, I can't say no to you._ I cut off her thoughts before I had to watch her watching my butt.

Now I needed to find some invitation to something so I could actually invite Ms. Swan. My heart managed a couple of more thumps in response to the adrenaline._ A date, perhaps?_

I froze in fear. _Does she already have a..._ I couldn't even finish the thought. My brain, too, was paralyzed. I felt emotionally exhausted from this Ms. Swan rollercoaster. Okay, now I _really_ needed to speak with her. Maybe there was some way I could find out... if... she was... available...

My next attempts at breathing were a little easier. Apparently I could get used to her faint smell after prolonged exposure. This was a relief, as I was less likely to kill her now.

I sat down with purpose, popped the dents in my desk back out, and started doing some research about the next case. Ms. Swan did not make me wait long. As soon as she noticed I was back at my desk, Jessica caught her frequently glancing over at me, hesitating. I believed I observed enough of her to guess that she was feeling shy. I tried my best not to look intimidating. I shifted often, sipped my empty cup, ran my fingers through my hair, and focused on deep, even breaths.

She finally did it; she gathered a clipboard and a pen, slipped on a very small shoulder purse, and excused herself from Jessica's desk. _Fine, I'll order my food. Jeez._ She had no intention of offering Bella some sustenance.

I briefly recalled my stint as a lawyer in a top firm during the 80s. We wined and dined our summer interns like there was no tomorrow. Surely, Bella deserved some recompense for her labor.

I took an enormous breath before she sat down. "A couple of things, before we get started, Ms. Swan," _careful, not too forward. Start with something that will relax her, she hates social situations._ "Would you please proof this copy?"

Her eyes said, "Would I?!" and she nodded emphatically. Her lip went right back between her teeth, and her brow furrowed in concentration. Unfortunately, in this position, I couldn't see her glorious eyes, but I could watch the rise and fall of her back as she hunched over and breathed into the lucky paper that had her full attention. On second thought, I was fortunate that her face was hidden, because the sight of her teeth marring the soft flesh of her lip was inexplicably going to make me aroused.

Some seconds later, (she must have been a fast reader) she looked up, "This is pretty incredible writing. Is this enterprise copy?"

So now she knew what I was up to, and she could see there weren't any mistakes to edit. I rarely made any. "Yes, I did the legwork myself."

She skimmed it again, "I don't see any errors." She handed it back to me, and as I took it I was careful not to touch her.

"There probably aren't any. Have you eaten lunch yet?" She looked at me, surprised, and I was relieved to focus again on the contraction of her pupils in their pools of dark amber liquid. My chest ached with about three kinds of desire.

"I... uh... brought lunch. Thanks."

I looked at her expectantly. She needed to produce the lunch, so I could inspect it. She continued to search my face for some answer, but she was also getting a little distracted. "Eat it while I explain my project."

She made an "oh" with her mouth, and scrambled to get her food and some tea. I took a breath, smelling the pine and honeysuckle, and feeling intense burning in my nose, throat, and stomach. I wanted to bathe in her scent... but her food choice smacked me back down to reality. She sat down with some weak tea, and opened a baggie with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in it.

_That's it?_ I looked at her, confused. She looked at me, confused. "That's all you're going to eat?"

She furrowed her brow, "Yes...?" _I must take her out for food. Soon._

I harrumphed my disapproval, and started walking her through my research, something Jessica clearly never did. She picked up on it quickly, and admirably started making some of the same connections I had been making.

"If you're right, that means there is a serial killer currently targeting their next victim in the city."

"Correct, so would you like to help me do some research for this?"

I was again rewarded with her "Would I?!" look, which was possibly better than having fed her real food. I gave her a list of numbers of hospitals and morgues to ask about specific signs... signs of my kind awakening. In a way, I may have been subconsciously warning her to stay away from me, to put all of the signs together, and see me for what I was. If I couldn't resist her, she would have to resist me. I was pretty sure her rejection would make it possible for me to leave, but I didn't actually want her to reject me. I was arming her with information.

I liked her presence, and was disappointed when the time flew by, and it was almost time to wrap up. Many of my coworkers were thinking about their dates, or their clubs, or how they were going to get laid. One or two had families to go home to. I would go home to catch up with Alice, perhaps, and see how her search was going. Or I would, usually. Perhaps I really could ask Bella to accompany me for some dinner. Perhaps she would actually go. This would dispel my worries that her thoughts were also occupied on an upcoming date or, I suppressed a shudder, significant other.

Conservatively, I began, "When I worked for a big law firm in the summer after high school, the associates took me out to lunch almost every day." I didn't mention the time frame. "I feel badly you aren't getting the same treatment. How would you like dinner?" _This sounded as little like a date as possible, right? Just as her inevitable rejection would not necessarily be a rejection of a date._

She rewarded me again with her stunned expression. Her lips were clear of gloss, and had little blisters from her biting them. I yearned to lick those microscopic cuts... but I couldn't think too much on that. "I appreciate that," _but?_ "but I'm meeting a friend." She checked the clock, "really soon, actually. I'm sorry."

I tried not to let my breaking heart, my crushing curiosity, or my looming jealousy show, "No problem! We can have lunch some other day. Don't bring your food on Monday, okay?" _I suck so much at this! Why? Haven't I had fifty years to perfect being cool? Why did I spend them learning how to play Chopin?_

To my surprise she looked disappointed, and I couldn't believe what came out of her mouth, "Won't you be here tomorrow?"

I did suck at this, didn't I? "Yes, of course. I'll be here. Will you?"

She gave me a dazzling smile, "Yes! I'll be in as soon as possible!"

I couldn't really muster a response, but I smiled, hoping she wouldn't notice my descended fangs.

She blushed and checked the clock again, "I have to go, see you tomorrow!" She stood and gathered up her things, before sprinting to the bathroom. I sat there in her absence, still stunned by how well that went. I didn't really come close to killing her, which was a great sign. _And a pathetic barometer for self-control,_ I berated myself.

Still, she didn't mind me, and we would see each other tomorrow, and have lunch on Monday. That was pretty boss! I still needed her address though. I considered following her, but her and her friend might not head to her apartment. I'd have to wait out Mrs. Cope.

Bella waved goodbye to several people before dinging the elevator, and I felt a vibration in my pocket. It was a text from Carlisle: "Alice is home- she gave me Bella's address. What time should we be there?" _Crap_. Alice didn't know?

I looked up and saw the elevator doors closing. _Crap_.

I considered taking the stairs at lightning speed, but many people on the lower floors took the stairs down at this time of day, so it wasn't safe. _Double crap._

I grabbed my stuff in a rush and pressed the elevator, trying not to look like a maniac. The high from my pleasant encounter with Bella was replaced by several shades of dread now that she was out of my sight. Who was this friend anyway, and how late would she be out? Would she be okay? Was this friend male? Was she female, and that's what Bella was into- _Stop thinking about that before you get aroused again!_

_No big deal._ I told myself, _just ask her what time she might be home tonight, in case you need to email her something-WHERE IS THE DAMN ELEVATOR?_ It dinged, in fear of my wrath, and I tried not to seethe on the ride down, but people gave me a wide breadth anyway, sensing my mood. I had already decided I was going to follow her. Disturbing stalker behavior? Maybe, but I couldn't just _not know_ what she was doing. That was crazy! How could anyone ever like anyone else, and not know what they were doing or thinking without going crazy?

Ding. The elevator doors fled from me as I strode out into the lobby. I smelled her scent leading to the front door, and saw her standing on the other side of the glass.

She was laughing with a man.

Rage, blinding rage, urged me to run forward, but I managed to keep my pace human enough. I reached the doors as she was leaning over, _not to kiss him, please, gods, I'll kill him._ Even more horrifying though- as I pushed through the carousel, she put on a helmet, climbed on the back of his motorcycle, encircled her arms around him, and rode away.

I stopped moving, and the revolving door slammed into my back.

* * *

**A/N: Oh noes! How will Edward deal? I always love his I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing-behavior. **

**I'm currently reading Words with Friends / Words with Strangers- which is a ton of fun!**

**Also, I'm sick this weekend, which actually means more time in bed, writing! Yay!**


	12. Bella: Sparks and Butterflies

_Join us as Bella is completely oblivious to the crushing shock Edward just received!_

_Whee!_

_**Rating**: (T) This chapter has some sexual situations and mild cursing._

_**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**Metropolis City, Washington, USA**

**June 22, 2012 5:30PM**

**Chapter 10: Bella**

What an amazing day! I giggled as I tightly held on to Jacob. I was trusting him with my life and didn't have to think hard about it. I watched the city rush by as I thought about the whirlwind of the last twenty-four hours.

First, Alice. We had shopped to my limit, and dragged a bag each of stuff from Ricky's and Lord and Taylor back to the apartment.

"I hate to buy from a department store, but no worries, I'll be making your clothes soon!" She had said. _Making my clothes?_

Despite her crazy nature, and her affinity for all things fashion, we just clicked. We talked for hours about her adventures finding her true love, about my life back in Arizona, and even about my hair! A whole conversation about it! This was my first experience making what I presumed to be a true girlfriend besides my mom.

She taught me how to blowout and style my hair, what clothes would flatter my body, and how to apply makeup. It was an education, and a delight. I probably still wouldn't spend more than a half hour getting ready in the mornings once I adjusted to my schedule, but it was nice to feel like I wasn't leaving my apartment every day looking like a clown.

Then, much to my amazement, Edward, uh, Mr. Cullen was back today. I'd forgotten in just one day how heart-stoppingly beautiful his presence was. The second I saw him from the elevator bank, I'd been paralyzed by relief and awe to see his copper hair glinting, and his prism eyes flashing.

* * *

I gawked. I stared, and he seemed to be staring back. For a second I was lost is his eyes, and the newsroom faded into static. They were clearer and lighter, more flawless and striking than they had been. The color had shifted from an emerald to a jade. I was still staring, frozen.

_You're staring, girl! Move your ass!_

_Yea, but _he's_ staring too..._

_You probably have a ring of food on your face, or spilled down your shirt-he's looking at your shirt!_

I brought a hand to my mouth and looked down at my clothes, expecting something to be wrong with them. Underwear lines? Wedgie? Camel toe? How bad could it possibly be? I was utterly embarrassed, blushing until my ears burned, and I avoided Mr. Cullen's gaze as I walked to the coffee table to punch in and tried to figure out what was wrong with me.

I ducked into the bathroom as soon as possible and scoured for embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions, or coffee stains, or bird poop, but found nothing. Once I was sure there was nothing clearly wrong with me, and I didn't have pit stains, or smell funny, I went back out to my desk to set up.

Jess gave me a once over before saying, "Coffee, please." Ugh, I nodded, but inside I was cringing. So we were back to this now? I had no idea why I had lost the ground that I had gained the previous day, but clearly I couldn't expect any more decent work from Jessica for the day.

My mind wandered back to piercing green eyes. Even though he had been staring, he hadn't looked so angry... or murderous, this morning. Maybe it was worth trying to be friendly- to feel him out, and make sure he hated me before I wrote him off as a mentor.

_Big girl panties, Bella! If you're going to get Jessica coffee, you can do the polite thing and ask Mr. Cullen as well._

I breathed deeply, steeling myself internally, and stood. I swallowed because my throat had gone dry, and shook myself again. I was being ridiculous! I couldn't let my shyness get in the way of my career! I had to learn to be more outgoing if I was going to succeed in this business.

_But he's so pretty!_

I rolled my eyes at myself. He hated me, as far as I knew, and would probably never look at me a second time given the opportunity. Why was I going over there again?

"Coffee, Bella." I was startled out of my pathetic reverie.

I worked my way over to his desk rather stiffly, and his head shot up in alarm when I was about two feet away. He was totally panicked, and I got the impression that he was allergic to me, like if I took one step closer, I would have to go get an epinephrine shot.

_Just get the words out of your mouth, and spare the man your presence._ The idea that I was so repugnant to him hurt a little. "Um, Mr. Cullen," his eyes softened, and my own panic lessened, "would you like me to get you some coffee?" He looked almost relaxed by the time I finished the sentence, and I had hope, for a second.

"That isn't your job." _Damn_. I felt like I was in trouble. Was I supposed to refuse Jessica's requests for coffee too? She told me to! I'm not stupid! Did he think I was stupid _and_ repugnant? "I know, but I was going to get some for Jess-" _oh, very professional, Bella,_ "Ms. Stanley anyway, so I thought I'd ask..." I trailed off and looked down, feeling like an utter failure. I couldn't do anything right around this man. Did I think he was pretty? He was gorgeous, striking, overbearing, intimidating, and I was nothing, _nothing_, but a stupid pathetic intern in his eyes. I was letting myself be used by Ms. Stanley, and I was weak, stupid, and useless.

"I don't drink coffee, thanks." I blinked, to make sure no welling of tears were visible. He sounded apologetic, almost. "What work have you been doing while I was gone?"

_Maybe he didn't hate me!_ At least I could answer that question like a competent human being. I lifted up my head and tried not to look crushed. I answered, feeling pretty good about talking like an adult, and ruined it completely when I brought up his sister like some preschooler with a playdate.

His eyes widened at the mention of Alice, and any fantasies I had had that he somehow knew she was hanging out with one of his interns, and approved, were dashed. He was surprised, and not terribly pleased. His answer was monosyllabic and monotone.

I couldn't help it, now that I had stepped in it, I may as well try to understand why I had the strange encounter of the small kind. "I've never met her before, but somehow she knew me. It was strange." Again, _it wasn't my fault. I'm not some creepy stalker, trying to get close to your family!_

He was staring at my face, not looking at all like he thought I was a stalker, when he said, "She's always looking for new dolls for her clothes."

_Well, that explains it!_ I thought bitterly, _he did tell her about you, because you're the right height and waistline, and he wanted to get a 'new doll' for his sister._ I felt used. The joke was on them. I was incompetent, unconcerned with my looks, terrible at monitoring my weight, and clumsy as an upright golden retriever wearing stilettos.

Images (more like nightmares, but I was awake) of Alice trying to get me down a runway flitted through my head, and I began to blush at the prospect. Let's get this straight right now, "I'm _no_ model."

His eyes bored into me, and another emotion passed over him. I didn't think it was a negative one, but then he stood up abruptly, forcing me back, and said, "Excuse me," before practically running to the restroom.

He was either sick, or I had offended him with my rejection. _Great_.

I slunk back to my seat after getting Jessica her coffee, and resigned myself to doing proofs and research for someone who had no respect for me.

_If only I could be someone else. Someone pretty, and confident. Sure, I'm smart, but what good is that if I attempt to put my foot in my mouth with every broken step?_

* * *

Now, while I watched the cityscape form against the beginnings of the sunset, my negativity then seemed laughable, and I giggled into Jacob's back.

"Did they already drive you crazy back there? You okay, nutjob?" I giggled again, and poked his ribs. He probably didn't feel it through his motorcycle jacket.

"I'm just laughing at myself... you know how negative I can get sometimes, but actually I had a great day!" I had to yell to be heard, and I preferred having this conversation with my feet on the ground.

He nodded, understanding that this would require less effort at another time, and left me to my thoughts.

* * *

When I thought back on it, Jessica had been pretty bitchy to me all day. Until Edward had taken me under his wing, she did a pretty good job at making me miserable. Her most hurtful comment, "It doesn't really count until your name comes after the title, sweetie," was actually the most useful lesson I had been taught yet.

It was true, after all. The world was filled with Jessicas, and my accomplishments would not be recognized until I'd actually produced some real work under my own name. This only solidified my commitment to the blog, and I used the research I was doing for Jessica to prepare myself for my canvassing on Sunday. Besides, now I knew I was working tomorrow, so more time to prepare.

"Good day, ladies," _oh my god!_ Yes, it was Mr. Cullen. I recognized his voice, but being surprised by him like that sent shivers up my sides and down my pants. His voice was... sexy. There was no other way to describe it. I hadn't noticed because I'd been too self conscious earlier, but hearing him now was melting parts of me I didn't know I had.

"Ms. Swan," I sucked in a breath, and struggled to stand. The sound of my name on his lips was making me very uncoordinated. "I just wanted to apologize for our terrible introduction. I've not been feeling well these past couple of days, and I'll be in and out quite a bit, I'm afraid," _Did he just reference bowel movements? Why is he still hot?_ "Please forgive my rudeness." _Oh, that's why._ He was charm on top of a sexy-voiced, godlike manwich.

_Say something!_ It took me a second to rehash what he said with a working brain, but I managed to keep my drool in my mouth, and my gushing to a minimum. I think I said something ridiculous about his eyes. I remember panicking afterwards, hoping I hadn't called them "jewels" or "beautiful".

"I'll have some work for you in a bit, so please don't go anywhere, okay?" He smiled at me. He smiled! At me! Maybe he didn't want to kill me. Maybe he didn't hate me. Maybe, as his words suggested, he actually wanted me around! This was brilliant! He was brilliant! He was walking away, leaving me dazzled. I was still stuck on the idea that he wanted me around... that his actions had actually been due to illness, and not to hatred. I was saved.

_Wait a second..._ He was definitely angry the other day, there was the dent in his desk to prove it. He had not been ill; he had been angry... with me. Then his sister tracked me down and saved me from Mike. I was so confused.

I tried to figure it out, but nothing really made any sense. Earlier he had acted like he was allergic to me, like I scared him. Was that illness? Was I totally misreading him?

"So, are you going to bring your friend tomorrow?" Woah! Mike's surprise voice was not nearly so pleasant, but he wasn't trying to make me uncomfortable, so I smiled.

"I don't think so, Mike. She said she was heading out of town." To find her true love, no less. Alice was convinced there was someone out there designed just for her. I wanted her to be right. Maybe someday someone could accept me and all my clumsy bashfulness.

"That's a real shame, but you are coming, right?" _Mike sure seems interested. No, not Mike. Not for me. If there is someone out there for me, I don't think I would have the initial reaction of wanting to put additional physical distance between us._ I imagined sparks flying, and butterflies in my stomach. Maybe Jacob... or Mr. Cullen... but now I was being ridiculous. Mike was nice, but not for me. I wondered if going to the party would send him the wrong message about me being interested. I didn't want to lead him on.

I had several excellent reasons not to attend, which I shared with Mike. Part of me was relieved I wouldn't have to go, but part of me felt like I was being a coward for not pushing myself to have new experiences.

"Bella, that's not good! You have to get better at socializing if you want a job offer." Bam, his words hit me in my most vulnerable argument for going. He confirmed my suspicions about networking. Mike knew what he was talking about, "I'm not saying you should break the law- don't drink, if you don't want to, but you should definitely go." My dad would lock me up in the house for the rest of the summer if I did drink. "Angela, Jessica, and Eric will all be there to look after you. We all want you hired!" This did make me feel a little better, both about Jessica, and my fear that Mike would take this as a sign that I liked him. It was a social exercise, and a necessary one. I would be there with friendly people, and they would introduce me around. It would only be better if Mr. Cullen were there, too. _Ha. Fat chance._

"You're right. I really should make myself go. Thanks, Mike." _You're dismissed._ He looked like he wanted to stick around, so I found some work to do, and buried myself in it.

Once Edward had sat down at his desk, I kept trying to think of the best way not to make a fool out of myself. He looked completely relaxed, sipping from a coffee cup- wait a second. He said he didn't drink coffee. Why would he lie?

My stomach growled for lunch, but I didn't want to be too obvious about avoiding his work, so I decided to save the food. If this got awkward, which was almost inevitable given that I was involved, I would have the excuse of grabbing lunch to escape.

I finally walked over, leaving my food under my chair at Jessica's desk, and willed myself to keep walking towards the shining beacon of Mr. Cullen's perfect, shiny, voluminous, and wildly sexy hair. What was becoming of me? I never thought this much about attractive men. I used to think girls who did that were slightly vapid and baffling. Mr. Cullen made my heart beat in my ears, and other parts. I felt anxious to sit and cross my legs.

He also stimulated me intellectually, for the man was a mystery. Did he really hate me, or not? Did he drink coffee, or not? Did he dent his desk... or not? I noticed immediately that the dent I had covered up was gone. How could that be? These were heavy metal desks, and I hadn't imagined it.

Mr. Cullen interrupted my thoughts by asking me to proof a copy. Suddenly, the desk didn't matter, I wanted badly to impress this man. I read as studiously and quickly as possible through the three pages of single space type, and found absolutely no errors. Was this some kind of test?

Nevermind that, the content was mindblowing! Jessica's work on drug cartels was interesting, but always in step with the police. This was one step ahead of the investigations that were going on. I needed to know where he was getting this stuff, "This is pretty incredible writing." An understatement, I didn't want to seem like a suckup. "Is this enterprise copy?"

"Yes, I did the legwork myself." Mr. Cullen unconsciously rested his foot on his knee, and leaned back, looking pleased with himself. It was so confident, and attractive. I recrossed my legs, feeling a little warm.

I looked over the copy one more time to be sure, but said, "I don't see any errors."

His casual response made me think it was indeed a test. I hoped I passed. He surprised me with his thoughtfulness when he asked me about lunch. My stomach hadn't embarrassed me by rumbling, thank goodness.

He was staring at me again, and I became lost in the stare far too easily. I needed to keep up my guard against the stupid-spell he cast on my with his hotness. He seemed to be expecting something, and he raised a perfectly arched eyebrow and smirked. My heart started working double-time. I thought he was perfect from afar? Rodin and Michelangelo had a sculpture baby that wished it was Edward Cullen.

"Eat it while I explain my project." Oh. _Oh_, obviously! That's what he was expecting, and here I was, totally out of it.

I broke some kind of personal record getting my lunch and coming back without tripping. Yet, even though I managed not to fall on my face, he looked at me like I was a crazy person. What had I done? I searched his face for answers, or possibly just because I had an excuse, and I was going to use it.

"That's all you're going to eat?" He seemed annoyed. His voice was the same as when he rejected my coffee, and made me feel ashamed of my dinky lunch.

Then again, maybe he wasn't annoyed... was that his way of expressing concern? "Yes...?" He crossed his arms and pouted beautifully. Clearly he was annoyed, or at least he disapproved. Maybe I should take better care of myself, but it was cheap, and nutritious!

_Distract him!_ "If you're right, that means there is a serial killer currently targeting their next victim in the city."

Next thing I know, he's giving me a list of morgues and hospitals to call. Exsanguination, huh? It didn't occur to him that this wasn't lunch material? Ironically, if there had been blood involved, I couldn't have eaten, but since the bodies were almost pristine, I was okay.

Bruises on the neck, sometimes the arms, like rape victims. They were alive and struggling, but not raped, before they were killed. None of the victims showed signs of anemia or blood loss before they were attacked, but all of them were below the mortal requirement when they were found. They were all found in isolated and dark areas. Cause of death in each case was cervical fracture. The force required was significant, so the killer had to be very strong, and considerably tall.

Most of the victims had been up to no good in those alleyways and abandoned buildings. Many were drug addicts and some may have been dealers, looking for a place to sell or shoot up. Some of them were homeless, but most of the time their disappearance went unnoticed for days, and once cause of death was determined, gang violence, or a drug deal gone wrong were usually assumed, and the case was deprioritized.

Sometimes the victims were written up as accidents, in what Mr. Cullen explained to me was an attempt by urban police to reduce the official murder rate of the city for political reasons. This horrified me as a concept, and I couldn't imagine my small town father putting people in danger by misrepresenting a crime.

Unfortunately, there was no visible pattern of victims, other than the convenience of location and disposition. It wasn't really surprising that these disparate, and eerily similar murders had not been seen as a string of related crimes by the different precincts. If anything, the problem might occur in other cities as well, and should actually be investigated by the FBI, not the city police.

What was surprising was the Edward Cullen had found a link between these murders... the lack of blood. He was concentrating on the current possible threat, because that was big news, and he wanted to stop the killer. He let me know that eventually I would be investigating past occurrences of similar crimes that fit the killer's profile. If we could trace him or her back to a starting point, it could help bring validity to the investigation.

He was amazing. Not only was he handsome (understatement), but also brilliant and caring. About two hours into working together, after he had broken me into phone call interviews, and the basics of the case, it was clear to see that he did not hate me. He actually seemed pleased I was near him. Sometimes I would catch him looking at me with a little smile, the only smile I had seen since he invited me over to his desk. No one else talked to him, or came to hang out with him, and now that I was sitting here, people avoided me too. Even Mike left me alone.

He did use the bathroom frequently, so maybe he was just really sick, and finally getting better. I hoped so; I wanted him to be around to work with me every day of my internship, if possible. He had patience and finesse, and I was having trouble imagining a better mentor.

Towards the end of the day he gave me an apologetic smile, and hurried off to the bathroom once again. It occurred to me that someone with an upset stomach shouldn't be drinking coffee. They should be drinking water. When he got back, I'd offer to get us drinks, but I was curious about what he was drinking. Feeling that I was possibly overstepping my bounds, I grabbed his coffee cup and looked inside. It was empty... okay. Maybe he finished his drink, but there had not been coffee in there, or tea. There was no smell left. Maybe he was drinking water, but then again, why wasn't there any moisture in the cup?

This was weird. Why would he pretend to be drinking out of an empty cup? The mystery of Cullen continues. I was tempted to look under his papers to make sure the dent I had seen was gone, but I was too worried he would catch me snooping. I placed the cup back where it had been, and refocused as best I could on his work.

I was still trying to refocus on not-Edward-Cullen when he interrupted my struggle in the nicest of ways, "When I worked for a big law firm in the summer after high school," When was that? How old are you, anyway? His voice almost put me in a trance, "the associates took me out to lunch almost every day. I feel badly you aren't getting the same treatment." Huh? No way. "How would you like dinner?" No WAY. I just stared like I'd been hit in the face. Edward Cullen had just asked me to dinner.

_Maybe he's going to kill you then._

_Shut it, you, stop being ridiculous. He's so sweet! I should go._

_You can't._

_He's not a murderer!_

_Yuhuh, and what about Jacob?_

_Oh- um. Damn. Stupid Jacob._

I must have looked like a crazy person. I needed to answer. Would I ditch Jake for a date with Edward? _Uh, yea, it isn't even a date._ He felt bad for me. It was no different than coffee with Angela, Jess, Mike and Eric. There seemed to be a rock in the pit of my stomach, twisting around as I said, "I appreciate that, but I'm meeting a friend." Actually, what time was it? I looked at the clock above his head, "Really soon, actually. I'm sorry." Man, was I sorry. I loved Jacob and all, but I had a feeling I wasn't going to get a second chance to make a good impression with Edward.

He sat stone still for a few seconds, and I was worried about his lack of response. He burst out suddenly with pent up animation, "No problem! We can have lunch some other day. Don't bring your food on Monday, okay?" Oh my gosh, I would get a second chance! This man was some kind of angel; why did he insist on keeping his distance all the time? Wait... Monday wasn't tomorrow. Monday was all the way on the other side of the weekend, taunting me. I felt like a child, I wanted Edward now, and if not now, as soon as possible! Was he going to disappear over the weekend again, and leave me bereft of his company, and in the hands of Jessica?

"Won't you be in tomorrow?" Wow, way to sound ungrateful, Bella. You couldn't just thank him?

"Yes, of course. I'll be here. Will you?" He almost seemed nervous like me for a moment. Preposterous!

On the off chance he felt even a millionth of whatever I was feeling, I smiled to soothe his nerves. "Yes! I'll be in as soon as possible!" I probably looked like a serial killer myself. Was I being too forward? He seemed taken aback.

I didn't know why the idea of spending even a day away from him felt painful, but when he smiled at me, it didn't matter anymore. He could just think I was some silly high school girl, in need of a good mentor. He could think I was totally incompetent, clumsy, and ridiculous, but as long as I could be a loser, and be near him, I was going to be okay. Ironically, the man I thought hated me at the start of this morning, was actually the only person here I felt myself with, the only person here who made me feel safe.

* * *

I blushed again at the memory, and smelled Jacob's leather, and felt his warm, comforting back. I had blushed then too, before running out of the building like Cinderella at midnight.

I needed to be back at work tomorrow bright and early, so I could spend the day with Edward Cullen! Part of me felt bad for thinking about him so much when I was supposed to be spending time with Jake, but Jake didn't seem to mind the radio silence.

"Hey, where are we going, anyway? The shore is the other way!" I was watching the cityscape disappear as we wove our way out of traffic with skill. I thought we might get some sandwiches and watch the sunset before renting a movie or whatever. Why were we heading north?

"Are you gonna work on your blog tomorrow?"

What kind of question was that? "No, I have work. I'm starting Sunday, why?"

That seemed to have answered some hidden question for him. He nodded and revved the engine more. "I made plans for us to have dinner at your dad's place!"

He... wha- how? But... work! Also... how would I explain... And I said I'd be there! Jacob Black, you absolute JERK, "YOU DID WHAT?!"

* * *

**A/N:**

I had a fever while I wrote this chapter, so I thought I'd share some of my feverish silliness.

Favorite lines in this chapter:

"**He was charm on top of a sexy-voiced, godlike manwich."**

**"****The joke was on them. I was incompetent, unconcerned with my looks, terrible at monitoring my weight, and clumsy as an upright golden retriever wearing stilettos."**

My desire while writing this fic was to take a lot of the original supernatural story elements and characterization, and transfer it to an urban setting, with the characters behaving at college/young professional level, and dealing with college-age problems.

Ala Former Mayor Ed Koch, RIP, "How'ma doin'?"


	13. Jacob: Slap Bracelet

_Show some love for Jacob! I always loved him, and loved to hate him, and thought he deserved to be part of this story. After all, he was one of our heroes in the original saga._

_Important stuff happens!_

_**Rating**: (T) This chapter has some sexual situations and mild cursing._

_**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_~MaraJadeblu_

* * *

**Highway between Metropolis and Forks, Washington, USA**

**June 22, 2012 6:00PM**

**Chapter 11: Jacob **

_Ow, my ear._ "Calm down, Bella-"

"Calm DOWN? You are kidnapping me! Stop this ride, I'm getting off." That was silly, we were on a highway. I put some weight down and sped us up in response.

"You are totally overreacti-"

"You JERK. You are 100% jerk, Jacob Black!"

"You wouldn't be so upset if you didn't know you were putting yourself in danger, and your dad wouldn't approve."

"Yeah, its a good thing I'm going to _college_, with a full _scholarship_, so I can be _independent_, and make my own decisions!" Ouch. I felt like she was digging at my high school graduate status. We couldn't all get full scholarships- and I was going to run a business, damnit!

"Well, _sorry princess_, but we can't all be _perfect_. If you want so badly to be an adult, act like it! You're being irresponsible!"

"What do you know about responsibility?! Not any more than me, you traitor-oaf. You realize you're basically saying you know what's better for me than I do, and that I can't handle myself in a city, right?" She sounded tearful, and I was beginning to doubt my master plan.

"I don't mean it that way, Bells. I just... you don't listen to reason when it comes from me, so I thought-"

"You thought you had a right to try to take my choices away from me? Thank you sooo much, Jacob. Really, I appreciate this." Damn, but Bella's sarcasm could be biting. She sounded choked up when she began again, "And I have work tomorrow, you doofus, so I hope you have a plan for getting me home tonight if you aren't going to turn around now."

_Uhh_, "I didn't know about work, Bella. Who works on Saturdays?"

"Newspapers," She spat, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Well, yeah, okay.

"Did you tell him?" She asked, after a few minutes of silence. We were only about twenty minutes outside of Forks now.

She really wasn't going to like my answer, "Yea, pretty much." Rip off the bandaid.

For a moment I felt her seething, but I didn't get any more hearing damage. I waited, and the silence made me more anxious. "Bella?"

Nothing. _Shit on a stick, the silent treatment._ This was not really going to plan at all. How was I supposed to ask her out like this? It had been so great, with her laughing, and smiling, and holding me. I couldn't wait to hear about her week, and see her eat a proper meal, and possibly run my hands through her hair...

Now my stomach was sinking to my feet, and I felt queasy on the bike. When I pulled into her father's driveway, and dropped the kickstand, she flew off the bike in under a second. The helmet I brought for her was flung to the ground she slammed that patio door as she went inside.

I sighed.

Presumably, Charlie was asking Bella how her day had been, I walked into one of her responses, "Jacob was helping me consider the benefits of high speed road diving."

"Hey now," I protested. She acted like I didn't exist.

Charlie was skinning and gutting some fish he'd caught... and the plan was to let Bella cook it, since she was the best of us, and loved to cook. I was currently a little afraid she would spit in my food.

"Now, Bella, Jake was just concerned for your safety, and from what he told me, he tried to talk some sense into you before he called me."

Bella started grumbling. I heard, "Sense? ..show him, 'some sense.'" She unpacked the freezer, slamming down each item of food on the kitchen island. Even Charlie was looking weary of her.

"Bella, baby, you have to know that tracking down criminals should be left to the authorities. I always taught you how to defend yourself, but I didn't do it so you could go _looking_ for trouble."

"I wasn't going to go looking for trouble!" She seemed to consider the truthfulness of that statement and backpedaled. "I was just going to canvas a neighborhood! It was basically going to be a neighborhood blog, with highlights of local news. It was just practice!" She filled a pot with water, and put it on the stove. Great, now there was fire involved. And pans.

"As soon as you start asking questions, you'll become a target, Bella."

"That's what journalism_ is, dad!_" She had angry tears in her eyes, and I kind of wanted to fade into a wall, or plug my ears and cover my eyes. "I never gave you crap for doing your job! You go out and put yourself in danger _every day,_ and I never complained!"

"It's not your job to look after me, whereas it is my job-"

"To let me grow up!" She finished. "You did great, dad. I'm great! I wanted to start the blog because I didn't think I was going to be accepted by my mentors at work. I had to rely on my own initiative. I'm not going to do anything dangerous, but I have to do _something_. It's not like there are just jobs hanging from trees for inexperienced high school graduates! This is what I want to do, so I have to start doing it." She took a trout from him and massaged some marinate into it with a little more gusto than necessary.

"Journalist have training, and connections. They don't go into dangerous neighborhoods alone and start digging up dirt." Charlie's voice was softer, and I started to think that Bella was going to win this argument.

Bella paused for a moment, her shoulders tense. I thought perhaps she was cracking. "I'll go with you, if you want, Bella." That earned my a death-glare level ten. She was not going to be forgiving me any time soon.

"Dad, I can do this..." She sounded defeated though, like this had really hurt her confidence in some way. Damnit, why didn't I understand her better!

The fish started frying, and I started drooling immediately. The veggies were boiling, and Charlie looked around for some dishes. He got close to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "It's not you I'm worried about, but you don't know what kind of freaks are out there. Any one of us could be taken down by some of these crazies, and you would be putting yourself _in their way._"

Bella's tears fell into the frying pan and burned. She gasped back a sob, and started nodding her head. "Okay... I won't."

Charlie gave her an awkward one armed hug, and said, "That's my girl. I'm sure there's another way to impress them- what about a cooking blog? You know you're the most naturally gifted cook in Forks!"

Bella laughed tearily, and the tension dispelled. We sat down to dinner shortly.

I kept looking at her across the table, but she wouldn't meet my eyes. It was frustrating, and though she didn't seem upset with Charlie, she was clearly not talking to me. "This is amazing, Bella, thanks!" I tried not to talk with my mouth full, but it was too good not to shovel, and I was a growing boy.

As the meal wound down, I fingered the gift I had for her in my pocket. I didn't think now was the best time to be presenting her with gifts... or maybe her being epically pissed at me was the perfect time?

We were putting away washed dishes, and I was starting to compose my offer of a ride home when Bella asked, "Dad, is there any chance you can drive me home tonight? I have work tomorrow."

Charlie looked up from the dishes, to me, and back to Bella. "Uh, its a little late for a ride back into the city..." he considered, "for either of you." Damn it Charlie!

"It's no problem for me," I said.

"Okay then." Bella said at the same time.

I looked at her in surprise. Didn't she want to be independent? But she had flipped her hair, and was heading to the stairs. "Goodnight Dad. I need a ride in the morning then."

That was it? I was totally cut off because of this? "Bella, wait."

She ignored me and got to the base of the steps. I grabbed her hand to stop her, "Bella, c'mon, let's talk about this."

She ripped her hand away, "Just because I do what Charlie says, doesn't mean I'm going to do what you say, Jacob Black." She started climbing again.

"Please, just come outside and talk to me for a second, please?" I grabbed her hand again, and she gave me a furious look, but I was so much stronger than her, and she knew Charlie was going to take my side. "Please?" I was not above begging. Or bribery. I pulled the present out of my pocket with the other hand, and slipped it over her captured wrist. "I'm sorry."

She looked from the wrist to my face. I'd given her a hand-woven bracelet with small patterns and beads integrated into the texture. She hesitated, then said, "I'm going outside with you, because then I can yell at you more easily." I smiled as she came back down the stairs.

I could take my punishment, as long as she was talking to me. "See ya, Charlie!" I called over my shoulder. The porch door slammed behind us, and we stepped out into the starry night, the wind coming down from the mountains, and the crunch of gravel. It was romantic.

"You have a hell of a lot of nerve, Black." See? Romance. She was adorable when she was angry. Her face got all pink, and her fists went to her hips as she leaned in, showing me a bit of cleavage and a white bra.

Oh, right. Focus. "Bella. I know you're angry, but-"

"Angry doesn't really cover it, Jake! You have _no respect for me as a person!_" she emphasized each word and why out of breath by the end of the sentence.

This got my attention. "I do respect you Bella! But, in a battle between keeping you safe, and letting you make stupid decisions, I'm going to keep you safe!"

"You aren't my guardian, that isn't your job! You're supposed to be my friend, not my protector!" Her hands were thrown up, and I couldn't help it, I grabbed the wrist and pulled the knot of the bracelet.

I massaged the inside of her wrist, "Couldn't I be both?"

She blushed, still pissed. "No."

I knelt down on one knee so that I was a little below her face, still caressing her forearm. "Then I'd rather make it my job to protect you."

She was having trouble looking me in the eye, "I would rather you didn't. You aren't my father."

"I don't want to be your father, but I'm not so sure I want to be your friend either." I looked into her nighttime eyes, which were dark and reflective. She was confused.

"You don't want to... be my friend anymore?" Her anger faded, and I saw tears well in her eyes, making them even more shiny and reflective.

Danger Will Robinson. "That's not what I mean! This bracelet is a sign of a bond, of an obligation. Even if I anger you, or you hate me for what I do, I want to always make your safety and happiness my priority."

I stood up, and Bella was fixated on her bracelet, and my thumb on her pale skin. I stepped toward her, and she stepped back into her truck. That brought her eyes back up to mine, and I decided to go for it. The mood felt right, and this was important. "I want to be more than your friend." I whispered, and then I leaned in, and kissed her.

She didn't move at first, so I opened my lips and tried to fit ours together. She was soft, and beautiful smelling, and absolutely still for three or four glorious seconds.

Then, her lips tightened, her hands came up, and she used her pathetic upper body strength to push my shoulders away. I hadn't even gotten to really hold her yet, and it took me a second to understand that this was not encouragement. I wanted to slide my hands over her arms and back, but she wanted me to step back, so I did.

"You idiot!" The tears from earlier were spilling, and she brought her hand up to cover her newly touched lips. "You just ruined it!"

Huh? "What did I ruin?"

"That was my first kiss, Jacob!"

It was? So what, mine too... sort of. Mostly. "Yea? How was it?" I smiled.

She reared back and smacked me. Ow, that stung. Then she shook out her hand, yelling, "It isn't funny! This isn't a joke!" She was crying.

"Why are you crying?" I was concerned, also, "I wasn't joking!"

She looked at me with fear and tears leaking from her eyes, "That's even worse!" With that, she ran inside.

Fuck me, what had I done?

* * *

**A/N:** I forgot a favorite line from last chapter:

"I thought he was perfect from afar? Rodin and Michelangelo had a sculpture baby that wished it was Edward Cullen."


End file.
